Washington, 13 November 2024 (dpa/MIA) - US President-elect Donald Trump was welcomed by arch-rival Joe Biden to the White House on Wednesday for a traditional transition meeting, a week after Trump and his Republican party swept to power in Washington in a stunning political comeback.

In front of reporters and a roaring firing in the Oval Office, Biden greeted Trump with a handshake. During a brief on-camera exchange, both promised that the shift in power would be seamless.

Biden, who leaves office on January 20, said there would be a "smooth transition" and told Trump that his administration would "do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated."

"Politics is tough. And it’s, [in] many cases, not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today," Trump replied.

He said the handover would be "a transition that’s so smooth it’ll be as smooth as it can get."

Biden and Trump were friendly, even smiling at each other and briefly joking when reporters shouted questions at them in vain following their short public remarks.

Trump's wife Melania did not accompany her husband, rejecting an invitation from the current First Lady Jill Biden.

Biden, 81, had called Trump, 78, shortly after the election to congratulate him on his victory and invite him to the White House.

While Biden and his Democrats have talked about Trump as a dire threat to democracy, Wednesday's meeting demonstrated that Biden is nevertheless going forward with the usual protocols surrounding the peaceful transfer of power in the US.

Trump deviated from such conventions in 2020. The Republican, who has yet to concede that election defeat for years, not only did not invite Biden to the White House but also stayed away from his inauguration.

Wednesday's meeting was one of the rare direct encounters between Biden and Trump. They last faced each other on stage at the end of June during a televised debate. Shortly after, Biden withdrew from the presidential race and was replaced by Vice President Kamala Harris.

During that debate, Trump called Biden a "weak" and "pathetic man."

Photo: EPA