President Joe Biden met the president-elect Donald Trump at the White House – a long-standing tradition between incoming and outgoing heads of state that Trump briefly interrupted in 2020.

On Wednesday, November 13, the two political rivals met in the Oval Office to begin the transition between the administrations. Biden, the 46th president, posed shaking hands with Trump, the 45th and soon-to-be 47th president, during a brief moment when pool reporters were allowed into the room.

“Congratulations and I look forward to having a smooth transition,” Biden, 81, told Trump, 78, to reporters.

“It will go as smoothly as possible and I appreciate that very much, Joe,” Trump responded. “Politics is tough and in many cases the world is not beautiful, but it is a beautiful world today.”

Although tradition dictates that the spouses of political leaders also meet, the former first lady Melanie Trump refused to the first lady Jill Bidenby invitation and was not present, The New York Times reported.

“Ms. Trump will not participate in today’s meeting at the White House,” Melania Trump’s office said. posted onhours before the White House meeting. “Her husband’s return to the Oval Office to begin the transition process is encouraging and she wishes him every success.”

The White House said Jill helped her husband greet President Trump and gave him a handwritten letter to pass on to Melania that expressed congratulations and said her team was ready to help Melania with the transition.

Notably, Trump and Biden were the two 2020 presidential candidates, in which Biden came out on top with 306 electoral votes.

Although Biden also won the popular vote four years ago and there is no evidence of fraud in the election procedure, Trump has notoriously denied the results of the election.

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Trump’s refusal to concede led his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent certification of the election. The violence of January 6, 2021 resulted in the deaths of numerous people, including police officers and Trump supporters.

Trump did not invite the Bidens to the White House before the 46th president was sworn in, nor did his family attend the inauguration.

With Trump’s invitation to the White House, the Biden administration sought to restore the tradition of a peaceful transfer of power.

President-elect Trump won the 2024 presidential election in the early hours of November 6, against the Democratic candidate vice president Kamala Harris. He will be inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States on January 20, 2025.