The outgoing president inviting the newly elected one has been an American tradition for decades. But four years ago, no invitation was extended to the then newly elected Joe Biden. Donald Trump, who claimed that electoral fraud occurred in 2020, skipped the meeting at the White House and left Washington DC before Biden's inauguration.
Now, Joe Biden emphasizes that the transition will be smooth and take place in cooperation with Trump's staff so that "the country can unite".
I assured him that my entire administration will cooperate with his team, said Biden according to media after he called the Republican last week to congratulate him on his election victory.
Declining Tea
That's when the invitation was made.
Trump responded politely through his spokesperson that he "looks forward to the meeting".
His wife, the future First Lady Melania Trump, however, declined the tea invitation from Jill Biden, according to media. Officially, it's because she's already booked for something else, but conservative The New York Post writes that Melania Trump is upset over the raid of the Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, including her room, which took place during the Biden administration.
The raid was carried out by the FBI in 2022 as part of the investigation into the former president's handling of classified documents stored at Mar-a-Lago after his presidency. It led to a 40-count indictment, which was later dropped by a federal judge appointed by Trump.
Psychological Transition
The formal transition process does not require a president to invite their successor to the White House, but it has been a long-standing tradition. Democrat Walter Mondale, who was Jimmy Carter's vice president from 1977 to 1981, has said that it's "when the psychological transition takes place", reports AP.
The Trump couple visited the White House in 2016, after Donald Trump's first election victory, and met Barack and Michelle Obama.
Born in 1946 in Queens, New York, where he also grew up. He has an economics degree with a focus on real estate from the University of Pennsylvania.
When Trump was 25 years old, he took over as CEO of the family business Elizabeth Trump & Son, which was later renamed The Trump Organization.
When he took office, the business empire comprised over 500 companies in areas such as construction, aviation, real estate, entertainment, and media.
Donald Trump is the father of five children and is married for the third time. His current wife is Slovenian-American Melania Trump.
Donald Trump was the 45th President of the United States between 2017 and 2021. The outspoken Republican won the presidential election in 2016 with the promise to "make America great again", but failed to be re-elected in November 2020.
He won the presidential election in November with a large margin and will take office as the 47th President of the United States in January.
Source: NE, TT
