Joe and Donald heat up by the White Home hearth

TOI Correspondent from Washington:Donald Trump referred to as him “Crooked Joe” and “Sleepy Joe” and mentioned he was the worst President in US historical past. Joe Biden referred to as him a menace to democracy, referred to as his followers rubbish, and wished him locked up. However now that the warmth of electoral battle has subsided, the 2 males met face-to-face within the White Home Oval workplace on Wednesday, and with a agency handshake pledged a peaceable switch of energy in an ageless Democratic ritual.
Sitting earlier than a crackling hearth that signaled the primary nippy day of winter, they addressed one another as “Donald” and “Joe,” displaying not one of the animus that characterised the election marketing campaign. “Nicely Mr. President-elect, Donald, congratulations…I stay up for having a easy transition,” Biden mentioned, including, “We’ll do every thing we are able to to be sure to’re accommodated, have what you want…We’re going to get an opportunity to speak about a few of that at this time. So welcome. Welcome again.”
“Thanks. Politics is hard…In lots of circumstances it isn’t a pleasant world however it’s a good world at this time,” Trump responded, including, “And I respect very a lot a transition that’s so easy…Joe.”
The media was then ushered out because the President and his successor President-elect settled down for personal tete-e-tete.
Trump’s spouse Melania didn’t accompany him, in a break from custom that usually has the spouses having tea individually whereas the President and his successor meet. Vice-President and the defeated Democratic candidate Kamala Harris was additionally not current; not that she was required to be.
The assembly got here on the invitation of Biden in what was clearly a show of respect that Trump did show when he misplaced to him in 2020 and left the White Home in a huff, boycotting even Biden’s inauguration ceremony. Biden is predicted to attend Trump’s inauguration on January 20, simply as Obama did for Trump’s first inauguration, after welcoming him to the White Home in 2016.
Earlier, Trump triggered some hypothesis about his future plans past a second time period by joking a few potential third time period throughout a celebratory speech to Home Republicans at a close-by resort. “I believe I will not be operating once more, except you say, ‘he is so good, we have to determine one thing else,” he mentioned. US Presidents are constitutionally restricted to 2 phrases in workplace.