It is a tradition for Trump to meet Biden in the Oval Office

When Melania Trump No-show Made a First: Addressing the Plight of the President and the Vice President’s Wives in the Rose Garden

Melania’s no-show was a way of saying: The Trumps tried, in their way, to do things the official way last time. But this time, they’re going to do any damn thing they want. They are going to run the country like a business owned by Trump. Trumpism will subsume tradition. And that’s a very unsettling thought.

Perhaps the most telling signal was sent by Melania Trump, who didn’t bother to show up at all. The president-elect’s wife received a handwritten note from the vice president’s wife.

Just as President Barack Obama did in his transition meeting with Trump in 2016, Biden had to sit there and be gracious while he contemplated all his accomplishments going down the drain at the hands of a man he has total contempt for.

Trump’s election taught us a lot about who we are as a country, and the nearly two-hour Oval meeting, juxtaposed with the announcements of Trump’s bizarre cabinet picks, was emblematic of an important truism in Washington: Democrats often try to play fair, while Republicans play to win; Democrats sometimes want to be right more than they want to win.

“I promised him that the entire administration would work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition,” Biden said in the Rose Garden last week. That’s what the American people want.

This ritualistic tableau did not take place the last time these two transitioned, when Biden took over from Trump. Part of it was because of Covid and part of it was because Donald Trump was scheming to steal the election.

If you are willing to knuckle under, Trump can play it smooth or rough. He made fun of how Biden looked at the beach and his sad mental lapse at their debate, while he was promising a smooth transition.

Donald Trump is not good for the children of America since he does not show humility when he wins. When he loses, he tries to burn the democracy down.

It was such a cozy moment in the Oval Office on Wednesday morning, with the roaring fire and the warm handshake and the past presidents — including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and F.D.R. — looking down benignly on the scene.

Former and future President Donald Trump is set to visit his old office today, the Oval Office. President Biden invited his predecessor and successor for what is a ceremonial tradition meant to signal the desire for a smooth and peaceful transfer of power.

Sitting side by side, Trump called Obama a “very good man,” said it was an honor to meet with him and that he looked forward to being with him “many, many more times in the future.”

Obama said he wanted to facilitate a transition that would set Trump up for success. Obama believes that it is important for everyone to come together and work together to deal with the many challenges we face.

“This was a meeting that was going to last for around 10 or 15 minutes and we were just going to know each other,” Trump said. We had never met before. I have great respect. The meeting lasted for more than an hour. And it could have — as far as I’m concerned, it could have gone on for a lot longer.”

That was something that Trump ignored when in office. He frequently held court as reporters shouted questions, responding to the ones he felt like answering and sometimes sparring with the journalists.

Then during the 2024 campaign, their one meeting on a debate stage in late June essentially ended Biden’s bid for a second term. During the remaining months of the campaign Trump often gloated about his knock-out punch in the debate and bemoaned the “coup” that forced Biden out of the race.