Donald Trump will make a triumphant return to the White House to meet President Joe Biden Wednesday, in the Republican’s first visit since departing under a torrent of scandal nearly four years ago.
Trump’s meeting with Biden comes as he moves swiftly to name his administration, including the world’s richest man Elon Musk as head of a new group aimed at slashing government spending.
Biden invited his sworn rival to meet in the Oval Office — despite the fact that 78-year-old Trump, who has consistently refused to admit his 2020 election loss, never afforded Biden the same courtesy.
Biden, 81, is expected to urge a smooth transition of power in the encounter at 11:00 am (1600 GMT) — and push for continued support for Ukraine.
“He believes in the norms. He believes in our institutions,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday when asked why Biden was inviting Trump.
“The American people deserve this. They deserve a peaceful transfer of power.”
However, in a break with protocol, Trump’s wife Melania “will not be attending today’s meeting at the White House,” her office said on X.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Biden would go over top foreign policy issues when he meets Trump — including US support for Ukraine against Russia, which Trump has indicated he will end.
The meeting may be a bitter pill to swallow for Biden, who branded Trump a threat to democracy.
The Republican leader of the House, Speaker Mike Johnson, said Trump may also visit the US Capitol, which a mob of his supporters stormed in 2021 to try to reverse his election loss.
Trump’s party looks set to take both chambers of Congress and consolidate his extraordinary comeback.