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Biden and Trump to meet Wednesday at the White House

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump will meet on Wednesday in the Oval Office.

The meeting will take place at 11:00 a.m., Biden press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

Biden invited the incoming president to meet after calling him to congratulate him on his victory Wednesday – an invitation that Trump did not extent to Biden four years ago when he won the presidency.

Trump won the presidential election on Tuesday with at least 301 electoral college votes.

“President Biden expressed his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition and emphasized the importance of working to bring the country together," the White House said in a statement Wednesday about the phone call.  

Trump Campaign Spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement that “President Trump looks forward to the meeting, which will take place shortly, and very much appreciated the call.” 

Outgoing presidents typically meet with their successors before the formal inauguration on Jan. 20.

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But the meeting will come after Trump refused to extend a similar invitation to Biden during the 2020 presidential election. Trump also promoted fraudulent claims that the election was stolen and skipped Biden’s inauguration. 

That year, Trump pursued unsuccessful lawsuits to overturn the election results in battleground states, alleging unsubstantiated voting irregularities. Hours before Congress was slated to certify the results of the election, Trump urged then-Vice President Mike Pence during a speech on the Ellipse not to certify Biden's win.

A crowd of Trump supporters later marched to the Capitol and broke into the building in an effort to stop the counting of electoral votes.

Biden also called Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday to congratulate her on running a historic campaign. Harris conceded the election to Trump on Wednesday and promised to assist in the peaceful transfer of power to Republicans.

On Thursday, Biden said he will ensure a peaceful transfer of power following Trump's resounding victory.

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