President Biden delivered a two-word message to President-elect Trump at the White House on Monday.
‘Welcome home,’ Biden shouted to Trump, as the soon-to-be 47th president arrived outside the White House with his wife, Melania Trump.
Trump walked up the steps and greeted Biden and first lady Jill Biden. The couples posed for photos, but did not answer questions shouted by the press. The Bidens and the Trumps turned around and entered the White House together to have tea.
After the private tea concluded, Biden and Trump got into their motorcade and traveled together to the Capitol for the inauguration ceremony. Trump will be sworn in as president around noon ET.
The two-word message mirrored the ‘welcome back’ Biden told Trump when the two met in the Oval Office on Nov. 13 following the Republican’s decisive victory over Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris.
The welcoming tone is a stark contrast to the combative nature of the June debate between Biden and Trump, as the Democratic president’s rocky performance ultimately led to him suspending his re-election campaign and Harris topping the ticket.
Just weeks later, Trump survived a July 13 assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, that sent shock waves through the 2024 election cycle.
Over concern about Biden’s age and mental fitness, Democratic donors and insiders pushed for his ouster from the race, and Harris became the nominee without any primary. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was her vice presidential running mate.