US: Biden invites Trump to White House for meeting on Nov 13

Washington, Nov 10 (PTI) Outgoing US President Joe Biden has invited his successor President-elect Donald Trump for a meeting at the White House on November 13, which would formally begin the presidential transition.

“At President Biden’s invitation, President Biden and President-elect Trump will meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday at 11:00 am,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

The meeting between the outgoing president and the incoming one is ceremonial and is seeped into decades old tradition. It is generally held in the Oval Office during which the outgoing president gives the president-elect a briefing about the key agenda of the country.

The president-elect is also given a tour of the White House. It involves a meeting between the First Lady and the incoming First Lady. This is only the second time in American history that a president is re-elected after a gap of four years.

In this case, President-elect Donald Trump, who was the 45th president of the United States for four years beginning January 20, 2017, and First Lady Melania Trump are familiar with the workings of the White House and a presidential administration.

The customary meeting between the outgoing and incoming president, which signifies a peaceful transfer of power, was paused in 2020 when Trump had not conceded the election. He also did not attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Joe Biden.

A similar meeting between outgoing Vice President Kamala Harris and her successor J D Vance is also being scheduled. PTI