Sean Gallup / Staff via Getty Images and
Ethan Miller / Staff via Getty Images
Donald Trump is returning to the White House a lot sooner than voters anticipated. The embattled politician who won the 2024 presidential election on Nov. 5 has been formally invited back to the nation's capital for a meeting.
On Saturday (Nov. 9), Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted, “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.” The Nov. 13 sit-down will mark the first time President Joe Biden and the GOP-backed political leader will come face-to-face since their debate in June.
The nation’s commander in chief bowed out of their reelection battle the following month and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. Harris conceded to her political rival on Nov. 6, after the race was called with an overwhelming 74 million-plus people and more than 270 Electoral College votes in favor of Trump. The former California attorney general delivered her concession speech at her alma mater, Howard University.
She promised that the fight to protect the American people and democracy was far from over. “For the rule of law for equal justice and for the sacred idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld,” she said.
The Republican figure will be sworn in for a second term on Jan. 20, 2025. Both Biden and Harris have reassured the public that a smooth and peaceful transition of power will take place, unlike in 2020 when MAGA members executed a violent insurrection in the capital to prevent the certification of Biden’s election victory.
“I assured him 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,” the president said when he addressed the county on Nov. 7.
He also spoke gloatingly of Harris. “She’s been a partner and a public servant. She ran an inspiring campaign, and everyone got to see something that I learned early on to respect so much: her character,” Biden said of his second in command, adding, “She has a backbone like a ramrod. She has great character, true character. She gave her whole heart and effort, and she and her entire team should be proud of the campaign they ran.”
Trump has already made it known that his top priority as president will be to reinstate mass deportation of illegal immigrants and strengthen the U.S. border.