Donald Trump’s White House Meeting With Joe Biden Scheduled

President Joe Biden will meet with President-elect Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday morning, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement emailed to Newsweek on Saturday morning.
“At President Biden’s invitation, President Biden and President-elect Trump will meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday at 11:00 am. Additional details to follow,” Pierre’s statement read.
Newsweek has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment via email on Saturday.
An invitation from a sitting president to the president-elect is customary during a presidential transition. However, in 2020, Trump, then the sitting president, did not acknowledge Biden’s election victory and has not conceded, citing baseless claims of widespread voter fraud. Biden did not receive an invitation to the White House before his inauguration.
Before taking office for the first time, Trump met with then-President Barack Obama at the White House.
Vice President Kamala Harris, who ran against Trump in this year’s presidential election, and Biden called Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him on his victory.
Trump won both the popular vote and the Electoral College. As of Saturday morning, he has 301 Electoral College votes to Harris’ 226 and has received more than 74 million votes.
“President Trump looks forward to the meeting, which will take place shortly, and very much appreciated the call,” Steven Cheung, Trump campaign communications director, previously said after Biden and Trump’s phone call.
In an address to the nation on Thursday, Biden said, “I assured him [Trump] that I would direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. That’s what the American people deserve.”
He added: “I’ll fulfill my oath, and I will honor the Constitution. On January 20, we’ll have a peaceful transfer of power here in America.”
The reiteration of a peaceful transfer of power comes after thousands of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying Biden’s 2020 election victory.
The riot erupted following Trump’s unfounded voter fraud claims. The insurrection resulted in one protester fatally shot and dozens of police officers injured.
Trump, meanwhile, has started announcing members of his administration, stating on Thursday that Susan Summerall Wiles will serve as the new White House chief of staff.
Wiles, who will become the first woman to serve in the position, has worked on several Republican political campaigns, including Trump’s presidential campaigns and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’.
Update 11/9/24, 12:33 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.