He left angry and defeated one morning in January 2021, returning triumphant and determined to upset the very fabric of the state, judging by the people he has already announced he will appoint: the Donald Trump will meet today at the White House with Joe Biden, who has promised a calm transition.
The outgoing Democratic president is expected to meet with his Republican predecessor and successor at 11:00 local time (18:00 GMT) in the Oval Office, where the 78-year-old Trump will return after his inauguration on January 20, 2025.
Joe Biden promised last week, following Trump’s sweeping victory, to ensure a “peaceful and coordinated” transition of power.
The outgoing president “believes in rules, believes in institutions,” his spokeswoman Carine Jean-Pierre said yesterday (Tuesday).
The Republican’s visit to the White House is expected to be humiliating for the Democrat, who knows that many of the policies he adopted will be undone by his opponent’s team.
Already Trump has begun to announce some names of individuals who will take on key positions in his new administration. Among them is the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, who will head a new Department of Government Efficiency along with businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.
Besides, for Trump, the meeting with Biden will smack strongly of revenge.
He closed the White House door behind him on January 20, 2020, just hours before Biden was sworn in, and did not even attend his swearing-in ceremony.
The Republican also did not arrange a similar visit for Biden when he was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election, breaking a decades-old tradition in Washington.
Trump still believes he was had won in the 2020 election.
According to Mike Johnson, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, Trump may also visit the Capitol today. There, his party has already won control of the Senate and is on track to win the majority in the House of Representatives as well.
With the Supreme Court having taken a conservative turn after the appointment of three conservative justices during Trump’s first presidency, the Republican will have leeway in his second term.
