With Transcript
,,
reporting David
mure good morning we're coming on the
air because we're about to get our first
look at today's White House meeting
between President Biden and
president-elect Donald Trump the two
sitting down in the Oval Office just a
short time ago this is Donald Trump's
first time back in the white house since
he left Washington in January 2021 there
has been no shortage of harsh words
obviously uh from either side for the
other President Biden inviting Trump to
the White House after his election
victory over vice president kamla Harris
there was no White House meeting after
Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in 2020
President Biden committing to uphold the
peaceful transfer of power uh this
meeting comes as Donald Trump moves
quickly with his transition team at
maral Lago building his new
Administration he's already filling top
positions including naming his chief of
staff Deputy Chiefs of Staff un
Ambassador and Homeland Security Chief
last night he also revealed Fox News
weekend host and army veteran Pete Heth
as his choice for defense secretary we
Al know Elon Musk and be ramaswami will
play major roles on the new
Administration creating the department
of government efficiency it will likely
exist outside the federal government
with its expected Focus uh to cut many
government agencies president-elect
Trump has vowed on day one to resend a
number of President Biden's executive
orders including those concerning
immigration as they meet in the White
House Republicans on the hill meantime
are deciding on new leadership in
congress who will be the next Senate
Majority Leader with Mitch McConnell
stepping down before arriving at the
white White House president-elect Trump
meeting with the House GOP conference he
congratulated them on the election
saying Isn't it nice to win on Capitol
Hill today Senate Republicans are
expected to vote on that new Senate
Majority Leader Florida Senator Rick
Scott a staunch Trump supporter is up
against Senator John th and John Corin
Trump has not publicly endorsed any of
them president-elect Trump will take the
oath of office a little more than two
months from now let's go to the Oval
Office we'll look at the pictures here
in just a moment this is President Biden
obviously and president-elect Donald
Trump the invitation extended by let
look conratulations
looking forward to having a like we said
smooth transition do everything we can
to make sure you're accommodated what
you need and we're going to get a chance
to talk about some of that today so good
welcome welcome very much and thank you
very much and uh politics is tough and
it's uh many cases not a very nice world
but it is a nice world today and I
appreciate very much a transition that's
so smooth it'll be as smooth as it can
get and I very much appreciate that
youim you're
welcome thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
all you can't blame them for not trying
there the reporters in the Oval Office
asking questions of the president elect
Trump right there and a President Biden
smiling at each other but not uh not
taking the bait if you will any of the
questions uh inside that room you heard
President Biden say to the
president-elect we want to make sure you
have a smooth transition of power we're
here to help you with anything that you
need uh the president alect saying
politics is tough that the world is uh
not a nice place but it is a nice place
uh today uh certainly appreciating the
extension uh from President Biden to
make this transfer as peaceful uh as as
possible let's bring in our chief White
House correspondent Mary Bruce also
watching these images as they're coming
in and Mary as you look at the image
it's quite notable president Trump did
not extend uh this courtesy four years
ago when Biden beat him President Biden
uh in an effort to strike a new tone
moving forward extending that invitation
today David this is something we haven't
seen in eight years and yet the
president felt it was very important for
the world to see this to see these
images and for him to be able to
reiterate and underscore his commitment
to a peaceful and smooth transition and
it was clear I was in the room there as
the pool reporter today uh in the oval
for that and it really felt like both
the president-elect and the president
after this bitter hardfought campaign
were really trying to bring down the
temperature there as you noted Donald
Trump mentioning look politics is a
tough business but they are trying to
move forward and it is interesting to
hear Donald Trump there in this meeting
a ritual that he did not afford uh
President Biden four years ago but but
saying that he appreciates this Outreach
that he appreciates moving forward for a
smooth transition ahead David Mary stick
with us I'll come back to you in just a
moment John Carl you're also watching
along I know you were there when then
President Obama extended the invitation
to the president-elect Donald Trump for
his first term in
office yeah and I have to tell you these
are two moments that are uh extremely
rare in the Life uh and career of Donald
Trump two moments uh where he is not the
person driving the conversation he is
not the person uh who is convening the
meeting uh you see uh you know Joe Biden
there welcom him you know short gracious
remarks and short and gracious remarks
uh from Donald Trump very similar to
what we saw almost exactly David 8 years
ago when uh Brock Obama invited uh Trump
to come to the White House back then it
was just two days after the 2016
election and uh very similar scene at
that point um Donald Trump actually said
that he would be seeking counsel counsel
uh of of President uh Obama as he
started his administration and I asked
him a question at the time it was the
one question that was answered I was
like are you really going to seek
counsel uh from Barack Obama and he said
yes yes he would and uh I I I'll tell
you uh the the graciousness uh didn't
last long back then uh it was another
obviously bitter uh campaign we'll see
how long the graciousness lasts this
time John Carl I appreciate it let's get
right to the hill Rachel Scott a lot of
news on Capitol Hill the president-elect
was there just a short time ago now of
course at the White House with President
Biden that's the spray uh from the
beginning of the meeting I presume the
meeting uh continues between uh the two
uh President Biden president-elect Trump
but significant for a number of reasons
at the White House also significant his
visit to the hill just a short time ago
exactly David before that face-to-face
meeting between President Biden and also
president-elect Donald Trump the
president-elect was here near Capitol
Hill he was meeting with House
Republicans behind closed doors and I'm
told right off the bat you had speaker
Johnson acknowledge that the coattails
in his word were enormous that not only
having president-elect Donald Trump at
the top of the ticket for Republicans
got them the majority in the Senate that
they believe they are inching closer to
a strong majority although it may be
small over in the house I am told by
multiple members who were in the room
that the president-elect also praise
speaker Johnson he also said that I
suspect I won't be running again unless
you say he's so good we've got to figure
something else out multiple members
inside that room told me that was
intended to be a joke that several
people also chuckled in that room as
well but of course just on the other
side of the chamber you have Senate
Republicans who will be electing their
New Majority Leader right now this is a
republican conference that is going to
be uh strengthened with president-elect
Donald Trump at the White House and and
as this is all playing out David also
house Democrats meeting for the first
time behind closed doors and in his very
first acknowledgement leader Jeff did
acknowledge two house Democrats that he
does feel that it is very unlikely that
the house is going to flip in their
favor he says that the buck stops with
him and he looks forward to trying to
retake the majority back in 2026 David
yeah the math looks extraordinarily
difficult looks like the Republicans
will hold on to the house as well
they'll control the Senate and of course
the White House one of those rare
moments in Washington when all three are
under the same party Rachel thank you
quite a split screen from 24 hours ago I
want to go back to this image from uh
just uh yesterday vice president kamla
Harris returning to the White House for
the first time to have lunch uh with
President Biden and and she was greeted
by hundreds of workers at the White
House and the old executive office
building let's listen to the NAT sound
here for just a
moment it happens every four years there
are winners and losers in these
presidential elections she thanked the
team gathered there and she said there
is still a lot of work to get done but
that she was grateful uh for their
support uh Mary Bruce any reporting on
the lunch between President Biden and
the vice president the words that they
might have shared yeah this private
meeting between the two of them this
lunch and the first really extended time
that the president and the vice
president have had alone together since
the election the White House not
surprisingly not reading out too many
details of that this was a private
conversation between the two of them the
vice president we know is back at work
she's meeting we are told with staff and
AIDS today she notably is not a part of
this Oval Office meeting today you can
imagine that would have been a bit
uncomfortable and the white house
stressing today is really about a chance
for the president and the
president-elect to meet but it was hard
not to look at those images yesterday
and see that she clearly was touched by
the outpouring of support from her staff
and yet stressing there's still a lot of
work to do David Mary thank you let's
get back to the pictures of the moment
the news at this hour again President
Biden meeting in the Oval Office with
president-elect Donald Trump uh the
president extending uh his hand right
there and the invitation to the
president elect a courtesy that was not
extended four years ago President Biden
saying in front of the cameras we are
here for a peaceful transfer of power to
make sure you have everything you need
as you enter into your Administration
president elect Trump saying politics is
tough he said in many ways the world is
not a nice place but it is a nice world
today uh in that moment with President
Biden our coverage continues on ABC News
live abcnews.com I'll be back with the
entire team for World News Tonight I'm
David mure in New York I'll see you a
