Trump tells Biden 'politics is tough' as they hold historic White House meeting after election 

Donald Trump thanked President Joe Biden for ensuring a smooth transition and said politics is 'tough' in their historic meeting at the White House after the Republican's stunning defeat of Kamala Harris.

Biden, 81, congratulated the president-elect and said 'welcome back' as they sat down for talks in the Oval Office.

The meeting, which many had expected would be tense and awkward, started off cozily with the two men seated before a roaring fire. 

Trump wore a red tie and Biden sported a maroon one. Some of the country's greatest presidents - Franklin D. Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington - stared down on them from portraits on the wall. 

A short glimpse the public got of them was cordial, with each calling the other by their first name. They shook hands. Harris, Biden's vice president who Trump defeated, was not present nor was she mentioned.

Biden was in the unusual position of greeting the man who both preceded him, and will replace him, in the White House. Trump won in a landslide on November 5, taking the popular vote and Electoral College, and sweeping the seven key swing states.

'Well Mr. President-elect, Donald, congratulations,' Biden said. 'I look forward to having a smooth transition.'

Trump thanked him and adopted a noticeably different tone than he had on the campaign trail.

'Politics is tough,' the president-elect said. 'In many cases it is not a nice world, but it is a nice world today.'

Trump said of the transition process: 'It will be as smooth as it can get and I very much appreciate that, Joe.'

Melania Trump was not with her husband. But first lady Jill Biden joined President Biden in greeting Trump upon his arrival to the White House.

She gave the president-elect a handwritten letter of congratulations for Melania, which also expressed her team's readiness to assist with the transition.

Biden's White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and Trump's incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles, attended the meeting with their bosses.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and other staffers had accompanied Trump to Washington D.C. and to his early meetings in the capital, but were not present at the Oval Office meeting.

For Trump, who has been busy this week naming top cabinet and West Wing picks, it was a grand return to the place from which he was vanquished four years ago by the man now sitting at the Resolute Desk, the same desk Trump used four years ago. 

Ahead of his meeting with Biden, Trump addressed House Republicans at a hotel on Capitol Hill. He flew to Washington D.C. from Palm Beach on Wednesday morning, landing at Andrews Air Force Base. 

'Isn't it nice to win?,' he told his party members to great applause. 'It's nice to win.'

In addition to winning the White House, Republicans took control of the Senate. The House has yet to be called but many expect the GOP to be in the majority there too when the final races are tallied.

Trump also hinted he'd be available for a third term, telling the lawmakers jokingly: 'I suspect I won’t be running again unless you say, “He’s so good we’ve got to figure something else out."'

Everyone laughed. 

Congress would have to amend the Constitution if Trump wanted to serve more than two terms. 

Trump, who endorsed Mike Johnson for speaker during the event, also had warm words for his party.  

'I just want to thank everybody,' the president-elect said. 'You've been incredible. We worked with a lot of you.'

Biden, who defeated Trump four yeas ago and always believed he could beat him again in a rematch, has been focused on his final days in office. 

Ahead of his meeting with Trump, he bragged about his record as president.

Biden, speaking at the Classroom to Career Event taking place at the White House, pointed to the number of jobs he created.

‘We have created 16 million new jobs – brand new jobs - since I took office — the most in any single presidential term,’ he said.

He added that inflation and unemployment are back down near their pre-pandemic levels.

And he got in a hit at Trump, saying he is more invested in buying American than his predecessor: ‘This past administration failed to do that. Like I said so much was exported overseas.’

‘Not on my watch. My administration buys American.’