President Biden and Mr. Trump met at the White House for the first time since the election and discussed the upcoming transition of power.
"President-elect, former President Donald. Congratulations and welcome back," President Joe Biden told Donald Trump as they began their meeting in the Oval Office at the White House on November 13.
Mr Trump thanked him and replied that "politics is very difficult and sometimes not very nice". "But the world is beautiful today and I appreciate that very much", Mr Trump said as the two shook hands.
President Biden also pledged a smooth transition of power, ensuring his predecessor and successor are well-positioned to take over the White House in January 2025.
Mr. Trump expressed his gratitude for this commitment and emphasized that the transition of power will take place "as smoothly as possible".
The scene was a stark contrast to the criticism the two sides have leveled at each other over the years, with Biden, 81, calling Trump a “threat to democracy” while the president-elect, 78, has criticised his predecessor and successor as “incompetent”.
Mr Trump also made false claims about election fraud after losing to Mr Biden in the 2020 White House race.
The Oval Office meeting is a custom between the outgoing and elected US presidents, marking the beginning of the peaceful transition of power. However, in 2020, after losing the election, Mr. Trump did not welcome Mr. Biden to the White House, but instead left a letter in the Resolute desk in the Oval Office.
After Mr. Trump was named by the US media as the winner of this year's White House race, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris sent him congratulations, pledging to transfer power peacefully on January 20 next year.
Mr. Trump has also been slowly building his new cabinet, announcing nominations for a White House chief of staff, defense secretary, homeland security secretary, and immigration secretary. He has also tapped billionaire Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the agency that will cut wasteful spending.