Newly elected US President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden met for the first time since Trump won the presidential election last week and both men promised a smooth transition of power in January.
The two leaders sat side by side in front of a roaring fire in the Oval Office, a peaceful scene that belied the tensions between them.
Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election but dropped out of the 2024 race in July after a disastrous debate with Republican Trump.
Biden handed his candidacy to Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost the election.
“We look forward to having, as we said, a smooth transition, we will do everything we can to make sure you are accommodated, what you need,” he said.
Trump, who takes power on January 20, said: “Politics is tough, and in many cases it's not a very nice world, but it is a beautiful world today, and I appreciate a transition that goes so smoothly, I highly appreciate that this will run just as smoothly. as it can be and I really appreciate that, Joe.”
Reporters shouted questions but were quickly ushered out.
There are no issues separating the two men in their discussion
It was in stark contrast to the criticism that the two men had been hurling at each other for years.
Their respective teams hold vastly different positions on policy, from climate change to Russia and trade.
Biden, 81, has portrayed Trump as a threat to democracy, while Trump, 78, has portrayed Biden as incompetent.
Trump claimed there was widespread fraud in the 2020 election, even though his own attorney general, recounts and investigations found no evidence of it.
Trump's motorcade rolled through the heavily guarded gates of the White House and the former and future Republican president was greeted in the Oval Office by Biden, a Democrat who defeated him in the 2020 election.
A huge crowd of journalists gathered outside the White House driveway in anticipation of the big event.
Donald Trump celebrates victory with Republican allies
Trump celebrated his victory earlier in the day with Republicans in the House of Representatives, who have a good chance of retaining control of the chamber as the Nov. 5 election results trickle in.
“Isn't it nice to win? It's nice to win. It's always fun to win,” Trump said.
“The House has done a very good job.”
Outside the gates of the White House, signs of the impending transfer of power were evident as construction had already begun on the stands where VIP guests could sit during the parade that will take place after Trump is inaugurated.
Although Biden wanted to use the meeting to show continuity, the transition itself is partly stuck.
Trump's team, which has already announced several members of the incoming president's Cabinet, has yet to sign agreements that would provide office space and government equipment, as well as access to government officials, facilities and information, according to the White House.
“The Trump-Vance transition attorneys continue to work constructively with the Biden-Harris administration attorneys on all agreements contemplated by the Presidential Transition Act,” said Brian Vance, a Trump transition spokesman, referring to the law which regulates the transfer of power. .
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