In Return to Washington, Donald Trump Meets With President Joe Biden in Oval Office

A joyous visit with House Republicans kicked off the president-elect's victorious return to the White House on Wednesday.

Following a meeting with House Republicans, President-elect Donald Trump met with President Joe Biden Wednesday morning. This was Trump's first visit to Washington, D.C. since his resounding election victory and as his government quickly takes shape.

The president invited his successor, and Trump and Biden met in the Oval Office. Biden did not receive this customary courtesy from Trump in 2020 because he would not accept losing the election. Trump described his 2016 meeting with former President Barack Obama in the Oval Office as "a great honor."

After Biden welcomed him, Trump informed him during the photo session in front of a huddle of media, "Politics is tough." And while the world isn't always pleasant, it is pleasant right now. And a seamless transition is greatly appreciated. It will be as seamless as possible. And I am really grateful for that.

In addition to congratulating Trump, Biden expressed his anticipation for a seamless transition. Welcome back. 

Since their insult-exchanging during this summer's presidential debate, in which the president claimed that Trump had "the morals of an alley cat" and Trump implied that Biden was so bewildered that he didn't even understand what he had just said, the two have not been seen together in public. In the end, Biden gave a performance that was judged so bad that his campaign quickly collapsed and he left the race.

As the final House races are being called, House Speaker Mike Johnson urged the assembled Republicans to express their appreciation to Trump, referring to him as a "comeback king." The GOP is predicted to gain a small majority. In front of congressional Republicans, many of whom were awestruck and recorded the incoming president on their cellphones, Trump praised Johnson's return as speaker.

Trump made a suggestion at the early discussion that he would change the Constitution to continue to govern beyond his second four-year term; the Constitution limits the number of terms that U.S. presidents can serve.