Trump and Biden both call for smooth transition in historic Oval Office meeting
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(WASHINGTON) — After losing the 2020 election, then-President Donald Trump broke with two traditions that demonstrate American democracy’s peaceful transfer of power.
First, he declined to invite then-President-elect Joe Biden to the White House in the weeks after the race while contending he hadn’t lost. Later, he skipped Biden’s inauguration, instead leaving Washington mere hours before the ceremony began.
But those customs will return as Trump and Biden are set to meet on Wednesday in the Oval Office.
It will mark Trump’s first time back in the White House since ending his presidency under a cloud of election denialism four years ago. A week before his departure, he was impeached by the House for a second time as lawmakers charged him with “incitement of insurrection” after his supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Trump vowed to return and his comeback was made complete last week. He swept all seven swing states, clinching 312 electoral votes to Vice President Kamala Harris’ 226 votes, and is on track to win the popular vote.
Biden spoke with Trump on Nov. 6 to congratulate him and to extend a political olive branch with an invitation to the White House.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday that Biden did so because “he believes in the norms.”
“It is important not just because it’s important to him, but it’s important to the American people,” Jean-Pierre said. “The American people deserve this. They deserve a peaceful transfer of power. They deserve a smooth transition. And that’s what you’re going to see.”
Last month, before Election Day, the White House said Biden would attend the inauguration no matter who won.
Biden made preserving democracy a key message of his 2020 campaign and his 2024 reelection effort before dropping out, repeatedly blasting Trump as a threat to the institution over Jan. 6.
“He wants to show the American people that the system works,” Jean-Pierre said.
Asked by ABC News White House Correspondent Karen Travers what was on the agenda for their meeting, Jean-Pierre said the conversation would be private but that reporters will be allowed in the room to capture the start of their sit-down.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said this past weekend, though, that Biden and Trump would go through both domestic and foreign policy issues.
Vice President Harris will not attend the meeting, Jean-Pierre said.
Melania Trump will also not be in attendance, her office confirmed on Wednesday. First lady Jill Biden’s office confirmed that a joint invitation was extended to the Trumps to meet at the White House.
“Her husband’s return to the Oval Office to commence the transition process is encouraging, and she wishes him great success,” Melania Trump’s office said in a statement.
In 2016, Michelle Obama hosted Melania Trump at the White House when then-President Barack Obama invited Trump just days after the election. The two men met for 90 minutes, and Obama called the conversation “excellent.”
While in Washington, Trump will also make a stop near the Capitol to meet with House Republicans.
House Republican leaders took an early victory lap on Tuesday as the party inches closer to a “trifecta” — or control of the White House, the Senate and the House. ABC News has not yet projected the balance of power in the House, though Republicans are three seats away from a majority.
“It is a new day in America,” Speaker Mike Johnson proclaimed. He said Republicans were ready to begin delivering on Trump’s agenda on Day 1 of his administration.
ABC News’ Justin Gomez and Kelsey Walsh contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — As the conflict in the Middle East escalates, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are both taking a break from campaigning in battleground states on Monday to memorialize the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Harris, alongside second gentleman Doug Emhoff, marked the day by planting a pomegranate tree at the vice president’s residence — a symbol of hope and righteousness in Judaism. Trump visited Ohel Chabad-Lubavitch — considered a sacred site amongst Hasidic Jews — in Queens, New York, where he had an intimate private visit to the Ohel, the gravesite of the Rebbe at the Old Montefiore Cemetery, where he was seen shaking hands with Rabbis and mingling with leaders.
Later, Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks at a remembrance event with Jewish community leaders at his own property Trump National Doral Miami, his campaign announced.
On Monday, Harris urged the country that as they reflect on the horrors of Oct. 7, they also be reminded “we cannot lose faith.”
“I will never forget October 7, and the world must never forget. What is asked of us? We must work to ensure nothing like the horrors of Oct. 7 can ever happen again, and on this solemn day, I will restate my pledge to always ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself, and that I will always work to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish people here and around the world,” Harris pledged.
To commemorate Oct. 7, Harris’ running mate, Gov. Tim Walz visited the “Nova Exhibition” — an exhibit honoring the victims of the Hamas attack — in Culver City, California, on Monday. Walz was greeted by Noa Beer, a survivor of the Oct. 7 attack and an organizer of the Nova Music Festival, and the exhibition’s event producer Virginia Fout upon his arrival at the exhibition, according to the Harris campaign.
Following Hamas’ attacks on Israel on Oct, 7, 2023, and Israel’s ensuing assaults on Gaza, the conflict in the Middle East has become one of the top issues this election cycle. Pressure for a cease-fire has created a rift within the Democratic Party and Republicans are attempting to capitalize on that moment while Trump’s own inflammatory comments continue to face pushback from critics.
Tune into ABC News Live at 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7, for “Oct 7th: Race to Survive” — special coverage of the anniversary of the conflict. Veteran correspondent Matt Gutman highlights voices of Israelis and Palestinians impacted by the war and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Since Hamas launched its surprise terrorist attack in Israel one year ago, and Israel responded by declaring war, thousands have reportedly been killed or injured. Israel has said its goal is to destroy Hamas and that it attempts to minimize civilian casualties as often as possible. Meanwhile, a humanitarian crisis has unfolded in Gaza, including the collapse of the health care system.
Harris, while stressing the alliance between the United States and Israel, has appealed to the humanitarian crises in Gaza and has repeatedly called for a cease-fire, including at the Democratic National Convention in August, where she officially introduced herself to the public for the first time as the Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential race.
The Democratic Party is divided on the issue as the war deepens with Iran’s latest attack on Israel. Although Harris has noticeably attempted to thread the needle in an attempt to bridge the ideological gap, concerns remain about whether the Biden-Harris administration lacks influence over Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a preview clip released ahead of her interview on CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” Harris remained aligned with President Joe Biden’s position, saying the administration is doing what they can to “allow Israel to defend itself” and that they will continue to put “pressure on Israel and in the region, including Arab leaders” to release the hostages and achieve a cease-fire.
She claimed the negotiations they’ve done with Netanyahu have led to open conversations and changes in Israel’s approach in the region, but dodged the question on whether Netanyahu is a “real close” ally of the U.S., saying, “the better question is: do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people? And the answer to that question is yes.”
Trump on the campaign trail has made an extensive effort to court Jewish American voters, often claiming that “no President has done more for Israel than I have.” Over the course of the campaign, Trump has participated in Jewish-focused campaign events with the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Israeli-American Council.
He has also been campaigning with major donor and vocal Israel-advocate Miriam Adelson, who is investing nearly $90 million in support of Trump in the final months of the 2024 general election.
At the same time, Trump has repeatedly sparked criticism by attacking Jewish Democrats, including Emhoff and Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, claiming that Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats should get their “head examined.”
“They have not been your friends. I don’t understand how anybody can support them,” Trump said during his virtual remarks at the Republican Jewish Coalition annual summit last month. “And I say it constantly. If you had them to support and you were Jewish, you have to have your head examined.”
Trump also criticized Netanyahu, saying in a TIME magazine interview published in April that the Oct. 7 attacks happened “on his watch” and that he has been “rightfully criticized” for the attacks.
“I will say this, Bibi Netanyahu rightfully has been criticized for what took place on Oct. 7,” Trump told TIME, criticizing him again for backing out on what was supposed to be a joint U.S.-Israel operation to assassinate a top Iranian general in 2020.
“It happened on his watch,” Trump said about Netanyahu and the Israel-Hamas war. “And I think it’s had a profound impact on him, despite everything. Because people said that shouldn’t have happened. They have the most sophisticated equipment.”
Still, Trump met with Netanyahu in July, insisting their relationship “was never bad.”
“We’ve had a good working relationship. I was very good to Israel, better than any president has ever been,” Trump claimed after meeting with Netanyahu.
Trump has insisted in his campaign messages that the world was a safer place under his administration, claiming that the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel would not have happened under his presidency and that foreign adversaries are launching attacks because of the Biden-Harris administration’s weakness.
“Ever since Iran has been exporting terror all over the world and, it’s been just unraveling, the whole Middle East has been unraveling, but of course, the whole world has been unraveling since we left office,” Trump said at a campaign event in Waunakee, Wisconsin, last Tuesday just after Iran launched missile attacks on Israel.
Harris also met with Netanyahu in July. After the meeting, she reiterated that Israel has the right to defend itself but added, “how it does so matters.” Harris said that she talked to Netanyahu about her “serious concern” about the collateral damage and suffering of Gazan civilians.
Hamas’ attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, killed about 1,200 people in Israel, with some 250 people kidnapped. And more than 41,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
“With over 2 million people facing high levels of food insecurity, and half a million people facing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity, what has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating; the images of dead children and desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time,” Harris said.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Thursday delivered a sharp rebuke of Donald Trump for spreading misinformation about the federal government’s hurricane response.
Speaking on Hurricane Milton at the White House on Thursday afternoon, Biden was asked if he’s spoken to Trump directly.
“Are you kidding me? Mr. President Trump, former President Trump, get a life, man. Help these people,” Biden responded.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his bid to serve as attorney general in the next Trump administration, but the question remains: can he go back to his old job as a member of Congress?
Gaetz, for his part, has only expressed an intent not to take the oath of office for the 119th Congress — which begins on Jan. 3, 2024 and for which Gaetz won reelection. He cannot preemptively resign from a session of Congress that has not yet convened or that he has not taken an oath to serve — that means he is still eligible to serve in the 119th although he cannot under any circumstances withdraw his resignation from the 118th to return to the lame duck session, according to House rules.
The House clerk read a resignation letter from Gaetz on Nov. 14 — after President-elect Donald Trump named his as his attorney general pick — which read: “I hereby resign as a United States representative for Florida’s first congressional district, effective immediately. And I do not intend to take the oath of office for the same office in the 119th Congress to pursue the position of Attorney General in the Trump administration.”
The rules of the House of Representatives mandates that at the beginning of the first session of Congress, members must make their presence known to occupy their seat. The rule reads: “House Rules 2. (a): At the commencement of the first session of each Congress, the Clerk shall call the Members, Delegates and Resident Commissioner to order and proceed to record their presence by States in alphabetical order, either by call of the roll or by use of the electronic voting system.”
If Gaetz or another member does not report to the Capitol to record their presence, that district’s seat will be designated vacant.
The House rules have very few further specifics. ABC News has an inquiry out to the Office of the Clerk for additional guidance.
And Florida’s own election laws seem vague on the issue.
Florida elections official Paul Lux, the Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections, which is within Gaetz’s district, told ABC News that he anticipates that the primary for the special election to fill Gaetz’s seat once he announced his plans to resign would likely be sometime in February, and the general election would likely be in April — though he stressed nothing is final until the official dates come out of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office.
DeSantis, for his part, has yet to formally set a date for that special election.
ABC News has reached out to the Division of Elections in the Florida Department of State to inquire whether the language in Gaetz’s letter triggers any sort of automatic vacancy or if there is anything within Florida law that bars him from returning to the 119th Congress. Some Republicans in the district have already declared their intent to run, though one candidate, Joel Rudman, said he would support Gaetz if he wanted to return to Congress.
