Biden to make case for Ukraine in first post-election meeting with Trump

It is tradition for a sitting U.S. president and their successor to meet at the White House after the election. However, this custom was broken in 2020 when Donald Trump refused to accept his defeat to Joe Biden. On Wednesday, it will be Biden who receives Trump in a symbol of the peaceful and orderly transfer of power. The meeting in the Oval Office will also serve to discuss some of the pressing national and international issues on the agenda, particularly Biden’s message about the importance of continuing support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.

For Biden, this is a meeting with his political nemesis. Much of his 2020 campaign focused on moving past Trumpism. He positioned himself as a transitional president to restore order to U.S. institutions after Trump’s four chaotic years in power. After becoming the first octogenarian president of the United States, Biden decided to seek re-election, fueled by the success of the 2022 midterm elections and concern there was no other Democratic candidate who could defeat Trump. However, his age became too great an obstacle for him to stay in the race.

Trump’s victory, which Biden frequently described as a threat to democracy, puts the Democrat’s legacy at risk. The president wants to lead by example during the transfer of power, while also consolidating his remaining priorities in the two months left in his term. A key concern for Biden is the role of the United States on the world stage: his presidency has focused on strengthening NATO alliances and forging alliances in the Pacific.

During the final months of his term, Biden plans to send Ukraine the full amount of aid already approved by Congress — roughly $175 billion, with about $6 billion remaining to be allocated. Biden remains committed to continuing this support for Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government and will aim to convey this to Trump during their meeting.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan explained in an interview on CBS that the two leaders “will go through the top issues, both domestic and foreign policy issues. Including what is happening in Europe and Asia and the Middle East.” Sullivan added: “The president will have the chance to explain to President Trump how he sees things, where they stand and talk to President Trump about how President Trump is thinking about taking on these issues when he takes office.”

Trump spoke with Zelenskiy in a phone call on Wednesday, and also brought in billionaire Elon Musk, who has donated millions to Trump’s campaign and whose company, SpaceX, provides Starlink satellite connectivity to Ukraine. According to sources cited by The Washington Post and Reuters, Trump also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, urging him not to escalate the war. The Kremlin, however, strongly denied these reports, calling them “pure fiction.”

During his campaign, Trump repeatedly said that Putin would never have invaded Ukraine if he had remained in office, and he promised to end the war on his first day in power. Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s spokeswoman, insisted on Fox News after Trump’s victory that the Republican could now broker a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. “It includes, on day one, bringing Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table to end this war,” she said.

Both Marco Rubio, Trump’s likely pick for Secretary of State, and Mike Waltz, his choice for national security adviser, have expressed skepticism about the massive aid to Ukraine, arguing that peace must come through negotiation. Many fear that Trump might threaten to cut off aid to Ukraine if Zelenskiy does not make concessions to Russia.

Biden, however, remains focused on ensuring that Ukraine is “in the strongest possible position on the battlefield, so that it is ultimately in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table,” said Sullivan. “It should be up to Ukraine to decide, for its own sovereignty and its own territorial integrity, when and how it goes to the negotiating table.” According to Sullivan, Biden will have the opportunity to “make the case to the Congress and to the incoming administration that the United States should not walk away from Ukraine, that walking away from Ukraine means more instability in Europe” and undermine the U.S. commitment to its allies in Asia.

Additionally, the meeting will offer Biden a chance to brief Trump on sensitive national security matters. By law, the incoming president must receive a classified briefing as soon as possible, and it is customary for them to continue receiving briefings until they take office.

Revenge impulses

The meeting will also serve as a barometer to gauge whether the president-elect is willing to temper his rhetoric and curb his impulses for revenge against his political rivals — whom he has labeled as “enemies from within” throughout his campaign — or if he will continue with this combative stance. This moment could reveal whether he will heed Biden’s call to “bring down the temperature” of political discourse, a plea he made last week.

Trump will also use his trip to Washington to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican who is expected to remain in the post. A significant portion of the president-elect’s political agenda will depend on Congress, as lawmakers will need to support his initiatives. On Wednesday, senators will also vote to elect their leader, and Trump is hoping for swift action in the Senate to expedite his appointments.

Melania Trump will not be attending the White House meeting. While it is customary for the outgoing and incoming first ladies to meet alongside the presidents, the former first lady has declined Jill Biden’s invitation and will not be present.

This marks the first handover meeting in more than three decades between a president and their successor, who were direct rivals in the election. The last such instance occurred in 1992, when Bill Clinton defeated president George H. W. Bush. Since then, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama all handed over power after serving two terms. In the case of Trump and Biden, they have faced off twice — first in 2020 and again throughout much of the 2024 campaign, until Biden ultimately dropped out of the race. This will be the first face-to-face meeting between the two beyond the presidential debates.

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