Donald Trump is set to make a dramatic return to the White House on Wednesday to meet with President Joe Biden, marking his first visit since leaving nearly four years ago amid a storm of scandal.
The meeting comes as Trump races to assemble his new administration, including appointing Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, to lead a new task force focused on cutting government spending.
Biden extended the invitation to his long-standing rival to meet in the Oval Office – a gesture of courtesy never extended by Trump, who, at 78, still refuses to acknowledge his 2020 election loss.
Biden, 81, is expected to urge a smooth transition of power in the 11 a.m. (1600 GMT) encounter and push for continued support for Ukraine.
"He believes in the norms. He believes in our institutions," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday when asked why Biden was inviting Trump. "The American people deserve this. They deserve a peaceful transfer of power."
However, in a break with protocol, Trump’s wife, Melania, "will not be attending today’s meeting at the White House," her office said on X.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Biden would go over top foreign policy issues with Trump, including U.S. support for Ukraine against Russia, which Trump has indicated he may end.
The meeting may be a bitter pill for Biden, who has branded Trump a threat to democracy.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said Trump might also visit the U.S. Capitol, which a mob of his supporters stormed in 2021 to try to overturn his election loss.
Trump's party appears poised to take control of both chambers of Congress, consolidating his extraordinary comeback.
Tradition restored
Biden’s Oval Office invitation restores a presidential transition tradition that Trump disregarded after his 2020 loss when he refused to meet with Biden or attend the inauguration.
Then-President Barack Obama had welcomed Trump to the White House after Trump’s 2016 victory.
By the time Trump took his final Marine One flight from the White House lawn on Jan. 20, 2021, he had been repudiated by many in his own party for stoking the assault on the Capitol.
However, that period of disgrace soon faded as Republicans returned to Trump, recognizing his unique electoral power at the helm of his right-wing movement.
Trump enters his second term with near-total control over his party, while Democrats appear in disarray.
He has spent the week since the election at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, assembling his top team. Observers are keen to see how closely he adheres to his pledges of isolationism, mass deportations, and sweeping tariffs.
Trump named SpaceX, Tesla, and X CEO Elon Musk, alongside businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, to lead a "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) – a playful nod to an internet meme and cryptocurrency.
Musk’s significant influence within Trump’s camp was highlighted by reports that the entrepreneur was accompanying Trump to his meetings with Republican leaders on Wednesday.
Trump is moving swiftly to complete his administration, filling key positions with ultra-loyalists.
Trump nominated Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth as his defense secretary. A vocal critic of "woke" ideology in the armed forces, Hegseth has limited experience in managing the U.S. military’s massive budget and bureaucracy.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem – an ally known for recounting a story about shooting her dog because it did not respond to training – was named head of the Department of Homeland Security.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is reportedly the top candidate for secretary of state, while Trump has confirmed Rep. Mike Waltz, a former special forces officer, as his national security advisor.
John Ratcliffe, a staunch Trump defender from his first term, was named CIA director.