Biden-Trump meeting welcome

Joe Biden’s historic two-hour White House meeting with Donald Trump on Thursday AEDT is hopefully an indication of the ongoing strength of US democracy that gives the lie to overblown fears for its future expressed by Democrats during the campaign on the prospect of Trump victory.

It restores a bedrock convention of the American electoral cycle that had been observed by all outgoing and incoming American presidents, winners and losers, until Mr Trump, amid his hissy fit over unproven claims of voting fraud after his defeat by Mr Biden in 2020, chose to ignore it. Having not had that courtesy extended to him and wife Jill at the time, it is to Mr Biden’s credit that he went ahead and welcomed Mr Trump to the White House in the way he did on Thursday. “Mr President-elect and former president, Donald, congratulations. I’m looking forward to having a smooth transition,” he said as he shook hands with Mr Trump. “We’ll do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated, what you need – we’re going to get a chance to talk about some of that today. Welcome. Welcome back,” Mr Biden said. “Thank you very much,” Mr Trump responded. “Politics is tough and it’s in many cases … not a nice world, but it’s a nice world today and I appreciate very much a transition that’s smooth, it’ll be as smooth as it can get and I very much appreciate that.” That is how Mr Trump should have conducted the traditional courtesy meeting four years ago, admittedly at the height of the Covid pandemic. His unwillingness to accept the democratically expressed will of the people at that time seems certain to continue to feed perceptions of his actions even in his second term.

But the meeting with Mr Biden is a good start that hopefully demonstrates Mr Trump’s respect for America’s longstanding democratic conventions and processes. Questions, however, surround the absence from the White House meeting of Mr Trump’s wife, Melania. Normally, the outgoing and incoming first ladies have tea together while their husbands talk. Whether that detracted from Mr Trump’s “nice day” with Mr Biden is unclear.

But as he was with the outgoing President, he suffered a setback when US Senate Republicans elected a new leader to replace 18-year veteran Mitch McConnell in what is a key legislative role critical to Mr Trump’s second term. It was a first sign that despite Mr Trump’s huge win, there are Republicans who remain determined not to allow themselves to be steamrolled by the new administration.