Their last meeting was anything but cordial.
At the debate in Atlanta in June, President Biden told former President Donald J. Trump that he was a “convicted felon” with “the morals of an alley cat.” Mr. Trump called Mr. Biden a “Manchurian candidate” who “gets paid by China.” After a confusing answer by Mr. Biden, Mr. Trump said he did not understand, adding, “I don’t think he knows what he said, either.”
There is little evidence that the ill will between the two men has eased in the week since Mr. Trump soundly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to reclaim the presidency, dealing a serious blow to Mr. Biden’s agenda and legacy after half a century in public life.
But four and a half months after Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump clashed in Atlanta, the two men will sit down in the Oval Office on Wednesday for the traditional handoff between the departing and incoming presidents. Mr. Biden extended the invitation to Mr. Trump, who accepted.
What the two political rivals will say to each other behind closed doors is unclear, and so is what they might say publicly. They are scheduled to have a brief photo op in front of reporters after the meeting ends.
But history suggests that both Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump just may treat each other with the courtesy that eluded them during much of the past four years, and certainly during the campaign.
In 2016, after Mr. Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama invited him to the Oval Office. Their closed-door meeting that was supposed to last under a half-hour went on for nearly 90 minutes. After it was over, Mr. Trump thanked Mr. Obama and said he looked forward to receiving his counsel and advice during his presidency.
That did not happen, and the friendly tone that Mr. Trump exhibited toward Mr. Obama that day was rarely heard again during his four years in office. After Mr. Biden defeated him in 2020, Mr. Trump refused to concede the election and never invited Mr. Biden for the traditional meeting in the White House.
It is unlikely that Mr. Biden has forgotten that snub (though it is not clear that he wanted to meet with Mr. Trump in 2020). But Mr. Biden is an institutionalist who has long expressed respect for the trappings and traditions of the White House and the Senate, where he served for 36 years before becoming Mr. Obama’s vice president. That is most likely what motivated him to offer Mr. Trump the invitation that he did not receive himself.
