If there were ever a time I wish I could secretly sit in on a meeting, it would be next Wednesday—because President-elect Donald Trump is set to visit President Joe Biden at the White House.
These are two men who have battled viciously for years, with Biden comparing 47 to Nazis and calling his supporters “garbage.” Now they’re just going to sit there and casually sip tea? We’ll be lucky if a fistfight doesn’t break out (Biden has fantasized about taking Trump behind the gym before).
Things could certainly get interesting:
President-elect Trump is set to meet President Biden at the White House next week following his decisive election victory over Vice President Harris.
The event will take place Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. EST, the White House announced Saturday in a statement. Traditionally, the visit is meant to signify a peaceful transfer of power between the incoming and outgoing president.
Biden has said that he intends to oversee a peaceful transfer of power and made a somewhat conciliatory speech on Thursday, but he also has already made a radical environmental move seemingly designed to annoy Trump.
More: Hours After Trump Won Election, Biden Made Another Radical Move on the Environment
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At that speech, the lame-duck president also seemed weirdly giddy despite the fact that he’d just watched his legacy go down in flames:
Why does Joe Biden look so happy? pic.twitter.com/7dmSWG1dQ6
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) November 7, 2024
Such a meeting between then-President Trump and then-President-elect Biden did not occur in 2020 as Trump was still contesting the election. Incoming President Trump did, however, meet outgoing President Obama in 2016—another meeting which I wish I could have secretly listened in on:
WATCH: President Obama and President-elect Donald Trump discuss their first meeting together at the White House. pic.twitter.com/OVDSgHyEXx
— CNBC Now (@CNBCnow) November 10, 2016
It’s also traditional for the First Ladies to sit down together, although a date between Jill Biden and Melania Trump has not been announced. Remember when Michelle Obama showed what a classy lady she was back in 2016?
.@KateBennett_DC‘s newsletter points out Michelle Obama’s continued issue with Melania Trump bringing her a gift on Inauguration Day. Michelle said it was awkward because it wasn’t protocol. Here she is giving Laura Bush a present on the same day in 2009. https://t.co/JJIz7f0L3m pic.twitter.com/og1YwFMsWY
— Hanna Bogorowski (@hannabogorowski) December 19, 2018
The look on Michelle’s face tells me everything I need to know about her. I would hope Jill would act with a little more grace, but I won’t be holding my breath.
Trump, meanwhile, has been wasting no time as he prepares for the transition. On Thursday, he announced that his campaign manager Susan Summerall Wiles will be his chief of staff, and he’s already put his transition team in motion:
Trump’s transition team is being headed by professional wrestling magnate Linda McMahon and billionaire businessman Howard Lutnick.
Meanwhile, the Trump-Vance campaign on Saturday announced the formation of the “Trump Vance Inaugural Committee, Inc.,” a 501(c)(4) organization that will plan inaugural events.
The organization will be co-chaired by longtime friends and supporters of President-elect Trump, Steve Witkoff and Senator Kelly Loeffler.
I can’t imagine how awkward this meeting will be, but they’ve both been at this game long enough that they’ll at least try to mask their utter contempt for one another. We’ll see if they succeed.
If anyone can get me an invite, please DM me.