During their initial meeting to initiate the presidential transition following Trump’s victory, President Biden recounted that he urged President-elect Trump to avoid seeking retribution.
He reflected on this encounter in an interview with USA Today’s Susan Page, stating, “I was very straightforward with Trump when he got elected. I invited him immediately to the White House.” Biden noted that their discussion lasted two hours.
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The president emphasized that attempting to settle old scores would be counterproductive for Trump’s interests. “I tried to make it clear that there was no need, and it was counterintuitive for his interest to go back and try to settle scores,” Biden remarked.
When asked about Trump’s intentions regarding settling scores, Biden revealed that he did not receive a definitive response. “He didn’t say, ‘No, I’m going to …’ You know. He didn’t reinforce it,” he explained to Page. “He just basically listened.”
Biden also shared that Trump expressed admiration for his economic policies. “He was very complimentary about some of the economic things I had done,” Biden recalled, noting that Trump believed he was leaving office with a commendable record.
On Monday, Trump accused Biden of complicating the transition, highlighting recent executive orders related to climate change and other actions taken by the outgoing administration.
Just two weeks before Trump was to be inaugurated, Biden declared a halt to new drilling off the East Coast and in California, Oregon, and Washington, while also restricting drilling in specific areas off Alaska’s coast and parts of the Northern Bering Sea and eastern Gulf of Mexico.
In response, Trump pledged to reverse Biden’s directives, emphasizing his commitment to boosting domestic energy production during his campaign. Despite the president-elect’s claims that Biden’s administration has not facilitated a smooth transition, his incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles, expressed a different perspective.
In an interview with Axios published on Monday, she stated that the White House had been supportive throughout the transition process.
Wiles commended Biden’s chief of staff, Jeff Zients, for his valuable assistance, noting that he “helped us pass the labyrinth that is the Executive Office of the President” and has been “very professional.” Both Wiles and Zients participated in the White House meeting between Biden and Trump.
