Donald Trump landed in Washington Wednesday to celebrate Republicans’ soon-to-be control over the White House and Congress, and visit lame-duck President Joe Biden in person.
Trump and Biden were seated in chairs next to each other by a crackling fire in the Oval Office for a photo opportunity ahead of their first official transition meeting.
“Politics is tough and in many cases it’s not a nice world but it is a nice world today,” Trump said in their roughly one-minute appearance before cameras.
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And he thanked the man who defeated him in 2020—although Trump never conceded defeat, instead fueling election denial conspiracies—for a smooth transition to Jan. 20, when Trump moves back into the White House.
“You’re welcome,” Biden summoned.
Trump traveled to Washington with his wingman, Elon Musk, the world’s richest man. Their first stop was Capitol Hill, where Republicans were choosing their leadership in both chambers ahead of January, when their reign of power begins.
In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson was a shoo-in to win re-election to the top role with Trump’s blessing—even though a few outstanding House races have not yet been officially called. Still, Republicans were all but assured of retaining a slim majority.
But in the Senate, Trump’s visit was a muscle-flexing show of power as he wants a majority leader who will be sure to follow his lead and fully back his agenda. But his one-time detractor, Sen John Thune of South Dakota, prevailed. (Thune has worked to repair his relationship with Trump over the years.)
Trump’s presence on Capitol Hill underscored just how tight of an iron grip he has over GOP lawmakers, as Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas noted to Punchbowl.
Trump’s policy initiatives include what he promised on the campaign trail would be the biggest deportation in U.S. history; massive tax cuts, tariffs and slashing the federal workforce and government spending—which may explain why he brought the omnipresent Musk.
Trump announced on Tuesday that Musk, along with one-time GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, will head the new “Department of Government Efficiency”—whose acronym, DOGE, is a nod to the dog-themed cryptocurrency, which spiked yesterday after Trump’s announcement.
Vice President-elect JD Vance was at the Senate to cast his secret ballot for the next majority leader who will replace the longest serving Senate leader in history: Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Trump addressed House Republicans, gloating over his stunning election victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.
“We won every way, all seven swing states—by a lot,“ Trump said. ”Michigan was great. Couldn’t be better, I tell you."
Trump, who is constitutionally restricted from serving beyond his next non-consecutive four-year term, joked that perhaps Republicans would like to reconsider those limitations.
Trump was looming over the Senate majority leader three-way race. Musk and other Trump allies, including Tucker Carlson, backed Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who has close ties to the president-elect’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles. Scott was an insurgent candidate facing Thune and John Cornyn of Texas.
Trump’s visit to the White House was his since first Jan. 2021 following his election loss to Biden.
First Lady Jill. Biden joined her husband in greeting Trump upon his arrival. She gave the president-elect a handwritten letter of congratulations for Melania Trump, which also expressed her team’s readiness to assist with the transition.
It appeared, however, that Mrs. Trump may be a part-time first lady in her second incarnation in the White House.
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