Biden and Trump shake hands in the Oval Office: 'Welcome back'

President Joe Biden and his predecessor and successor, Donald Trump, met Wednesday at the White House.

After shaking hands, Biden congratulated the Republican on his victory in the presidential election. "We're looking forward to having a, like we said, smooth transition. [We'll] do everything we can to make sure you're accommodated, what you need," the president said. "We're going to get a chance to talk about some of that today. Welcome back."

"Politics is tough, and in many cases it’s not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today and I appreciate it very much," Trump responded. "It will be as smooth as it can get, and I very much appreciate that, Joe."

Trump and Biden's last face-to-face meeting was on Sept. 11 in New York to commemorate yet another anniversary of the largest terrorist act in the country's history. The two greeted each other politely and were separated in the line of attendees by Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City.

It is customary for the outgoing president to greet the president-elect before taking office. Bush did it with Obama in 2008 and Obama with Trump in 2016, although the Republican did not welcome Biden after the 2020 election.

Meeting with legislators

Trump began his tour of the nation’s capital by meeting with Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill. The president-elect referred, with a joke, to the concern about the possible effect of his cabinet appointments on the majority in the House, according to The New York Times. Trump assured that, if it were up to him, he would appoint 15 of them, which raised laughter among the attendees.

Also attending the meeting was Elon Musk, recently appointed to head a new Department of Government Efficiency.