President Joe Biden is set to appear in front of cameras and address the nation for the first time following Donald Trump’s decisive victory over Kamala Harris.
Biden is scheduled to speak in the Rose Garden at 11 a.m. ET, and said in a post on X that he would discuss the election results and the transition.
On Wednesday, the White House announced that Biden spoke with the president-elect and expressed his determination to ensure a smooth transition of power while emphasizing the importance of efforts to unite the country. Mr. Biden invited the man he ousted from the White House four years ago to a meeting in the Oval Office to prepare for the return of the keys.
“President Trump looks forward to our upcoming meeting and highly values the telephone conversation,” Trump campaign communications director Stephen Chan said in a statement.
Biden’s chief of staff urged the Trump campaign late Wednesday to sign the federal agreements needed to begin an orderly presidential transition, according to a White House official.
A person familiar with the Trump campaign said that transition talks for the January 20, 2025 presidential transition have not begun in earnest. Instead, the president-elect was busy taking calls from domestic and international leaders, donors and key supporters. Transition discussions are expected to begin in earnest later this week, with all eyes on the naming of a launch committee and formal transition team.
Biden’s chief of staff, Jeff Zaients, contacted Trump transition co-chairs Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon to discuss the important role the White House and General Services Administration agreement will play in starting the presidential transition. He re-emphasized his role. The White House official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the delicate transition plan.
The delay has prevented the federal government from beginning to process classified information for potential Trump administration national security appointees, and has prevented the federal government from beginning to process classified information for potential Trump administration national security appointees, and has prevented the federal government from starting processing classified information for potential Trump administration national security appointees, and has prevented officials working on classified information by Inauguration Day. The number may be limited. It also means he still does not have access to federal facilities, documents or personnel to prepare for his inauguration.
The agreement is required by the Presidential Transition Act, which requires the president-elect’s team to agree to an ethics plan and limit and disclose individual donations. In the same law, Congress set a September 1 deadline for the GSA agreement and an October 1 deadline for the White House agreement to ensure the incoming administration is ready to govern when it takes office on January 20.
Lutnick and McMahon issued a statement late Wednesday saying President Trump would choose his administration’s personnel “in the coming days and weeks,” but did not mention any agreement with the Biden administration.
“The transition team will ensure President Trump’s common-sense policies are implemented from day one as he selects the best people to join his team and the best policies to pursue,” they said.
Mr. Biden also called Ms. Harris to express his respect for her campaign. According to President Trump’s press secretary Stephen Chan, President Trump and Harris spoke by phone, and the president-elect “recognized Vice President Harris’ strength, professionalism, and tenacity during the campaign, and both The leaders agreed on the importance of unifying the country.”
Here are some facts you need to know about Inauguration Day.
