Photo resurfaces of Biden welcoming Pence to White House for ‘smooth transition of power’
‘I just met with @VP-elect Pence at the @WhiteHouse to offer our support for a smooth, seamless transition of power,’ Mr Biden wrote at the time
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The political climate in the United States starkly differed four years ago from today.
Donald Trump, after shocking pollsters and winning the 2016 election against Hillary Clinton, was welcomed to the White House by then-President Barack Obama to start the peaceful transfer of power between the two administrations.
Included in that transition of power was then-Vice President Joe Biden meeting with Mike Pence.
“I just met with @VP-elect Pence at the @WhiteHouse to offer our support for a smooth, seamless transition of power,” Mr Biden wrote in a tweet dated 10 November, 2016. The tweet included a picture of the two politicians in the vice president’s office.
During the meeting, the pair talked about “the key duties of the Vice President, and discussed a number of specific policy portfolios that have been a critical focus for him during his time in office, including NATO and eastern Europe and expanding access to the middle class,” according to a readout of the meeting.
While the pair was meeting in the vice president’s office, Mr Obama was hosting Mr Trump in the Oval Office.
“I want to emphasize to you, Mr. President-elect, that we now are going to want to do everything we can to help you succeed -- because if you succeed, then the country succeeds,” Mr Obama said to his successor at the time.
Now, four years later, President-elect Biden has started his transition into the White House without the assistance of the sitting president.
Mr Trump has not yet conceded the election. Instead, he’s pursued claims of voter fraud in multiple battleground states that he lost. But the president has not provided substantial evidence to overturn any of the states called for Mr Biden.
Whether Mr Trump will concede and invite the incoming Biden administration to the White House ahead of 20 January remains unknown.
When asked by reporters on Tuesday about the transition process, Mr Biden said: “We don’t see anything slowing this down, quite frankly.”
He added that it was an “embarrassment” that Mr Trump refuses to acknowledge the results of the 2020 election.
“It will not help the president’s legacy,” Mr Biden said.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments