President-elect Donald Trump and President Biden are meeting at the White House on Wednesday as part of the transition process, a formality that Trump didn’t extend to Mr. Biden in 2020.
Melania Trump will not meet first lady Jill Biden, although the first ladies do traditionally meet. Melania Trump met with Michelle Obama in 2016.
The last time Trump and Mr. Biden met face-to-face was at the June debate, during which Mr. Biden called Trump a “convicted felon” and said he had the “morals of an alleycat.” Trump, for his part, said the U.S. had turned into a “third-world country” under Mr. Biden, and referred to him as a “Manchurian candidate.” Mr. Biden struggled during the debate, and his campaign later said he had a cold, but his performance alarmed Democrats and he dropped out of the race weeks later — leaving Trump to face Vice President Kamala Harris in the general election.
While the meeting Wednesday is likely to be courteous, the pair are bitter rivals.
Also on Wednesday, Elon Musk, a huge backer of Trump’s 2024 bid who was named on Tuesday night as the head of a new Office of Government Efficiency, was with Trump on his plane as they headed to Washington, a source said. He will attending the House Republican conference meeting in Washington with Trump, a source familiar with House Republicans told CBS News.
Although Trump has made a slew of Cabinet appointments since the election, he has not made any public appearances since speaking to supporters at his election headquarters in West Palm Beach as it became apparent he won the election.
