President Joe Biden will hold a meeting with president-elect Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, November 13. White House officials announced Saturday that the meeting between Trump and Biden will be held at the Oval Office at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. Trump's transition team is yet to respond to the announcement made by the White House.
The statement comes after President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris committed to a peaceful transfer of power following the Republican tickets' victory in the recently concluded presidential elections. Trump, who defeated Harris in a landslide victory, is set to take over as President on January 20, 2025, after the US Congress certifies the election results.
The announcement of the meeting was released via a statement by the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre. Notably, despite being invited by Democratic President Barack Obama to a meeting at the White House discussing the transition after Trump won the 2016 election, the 78-year-old did not extend the same favour to Joe Biden after he won in 2020.
The current administration has been committed to a peaceful transfer of power, with both Harris and Biden highlighting their commitment to it in their respective speeches after the elections results.
On Thursday, Biden told reporters at the White House that he will do his 'duty as the president' and ensure a peaceful transfer of power to the newly elected Republican ticket.
"I will do my duty as president: I will fulfill my oath and I will honor the Constitution. On Jan. 20, we’ll have a peaceful transfer of power here in America,” Biden said.
Harris, who reacted to the election loss at her concession speech at Howard University in Washington DC on Wednesday morning, had set the tone of the current administration's position on the transfer of power.
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“Earlier today, I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. I also told him that we will help him and his team with their transition and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power,” Harris said.
Notably, after Biden won in 2020, the Trump administration had prevented the smooth transfer of power by deliberately stalling the newly elected Biden administration to take over. It culminated in the January 6, 2021, riots at the Capitol Hill when Trump supporters stormed the building trying to prevent the Congress from certifying Biden's election.