(Headline USA) The White House confirmed this week that President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, fueling rumors that Biden smoothed over his differences with Trump after being ousted by his own party from the 2024 race.
“The president promised that he would attend the inauguration of whomever won the election,” senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates told reporters on Monday. “He and the first lady are going to honor that promise and attend the inauguration.”
Bates added that, despite their having previously advanced rhetoric that Trump was Adolf Hitler incarnate and would effect the end of democracy, the Bidens viewed attending the inauguration “as an important demonstration of commitment to our democratic values and to honoring the will of the people as we continue to provide an orderly and effective transition.”
In the wake of the heavily disputed 2020 election and Jan. 6 uprising at the U.S. Capitol, Trump did not attend Biden’s inauguration in 2021, becoming the fifth president in U.S. history to skip his successor’s swearing-in. Earlier this year, Biden referenced Trump’s absence and jabbed that Trump just didn’t have “good manners.”
However, Biden and Trump have connected since Trump’s historic win earlier this month. The two met at the White House shortly after the election for nearly two hours.
“It was a substantive meeting,” press secretary Karine Jean–Pierre said at the time. “They discussed important national security and domestic policy issues facing the nation and the world.”
Biden even offered Trump a warm “welcome back” as they were photographed together in the White House.
“We’re looking forward to having, like we said, a smooth transition, do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated, what you need,” Biden said.
Trump responded, “Politics is tough, and it’s many cases not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today, and I appreciate very much a transition that’s so smooth it’ll be as smooth as it can get, and I very much appreciate that, Joe.”
As noted by Twitchy, some conservatives have speculated that Biden secretly backed Trump in the final months of the 2024 campaign after being ousted from the top of the 2024 ticket by Democratic leaders.
Of course he will, he voted for his favorite president! pic.twitter.com/xn9KZxfMj0
— MAGAhombre🇺🇸 (@MAGAhombre2024) November 25, 2024
I wonder which side he will be on? pic.twitter.com/xZ9OXTs0ol
— David Pace, Jr (@Dpp1980) November 25, 2024
The unusual situation, paired with the emergence of artificial-intelligence-driven advances in memeing, have helped spark some users to imagine the sudden civility between the Left’s two leading pariahs as something more.
Seeing Is Believing! 😁 pic.twitter.com/nd8itI3aCD
— DK🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸 (@1Nicdar) November 13, 2024
