Trump receives congratulations and an invitation to the White House as Biden nudges on transition

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump spent his first time arsenic president-elect receiving congratulatory telephone calls from his defeated opponent, world leaders and President Joe Biden arsenic he began nan process of turning his predetermination triumph into a government.

Trump was keeping a debased profile, staying retired of nan nationalist oculus aft addressing supporters successful Florida during nan wee hours of Wednesday morning.

Vice President Kamala Harris called Trump to concede nan title and to congratulate him, while Biden invited nan man he ousted from nan White House 4 years agone to an Oval Office gathering to hole to return nan keys.

“President Trump looks guardant to nan meeting, which will return spot shortly, and very overmuch appreciated nan call,” said Trump run communications head Steven Cheung.

Biden’s main of unit later Wednesday nudged nan Trump squad to motion nan required national agreements basal to statesman an orderly statesmanlike transition, a White House charismatic said.

A root pinch knowledge of nan Trump run said modulation talks to return complete powerfulness connected Jan. 20, 2025, had not begun successful earnest. Instead, nan president-elect was engaged taking calls from leaders, home and international, donors and cardinal supporters. Transition discussions are expected to ramp up later successful nan week, arsenic attraction turns to naming an inaugural committee and a general modulation team.

Biden main of unit Jeff Zients reached retired to Trump modulation co-chairs Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon to reiterate nan important domiciled nan agreements pinch nan White House and nan General Services Administration play successful opening a statesmanlike transition. The White House charismatic said connected nan information of anonymity to talk nan delicate modulation planning.

The hold is holding up nan national government’s expertise to statesman processing information clearances for imaginable Trump management nationalist information appointees, which could limit nan number of his unit who could activity connected delicate accusation by Inauguration Day. It besides intends they can’t yet entree national facilities, documents and unit to hole for taking office.

The agreements are required by nan Presidential Transition Act, and require nan president-elect’s squad to work together to an morals scheme and to limit and disclose backstage donations. Congress, successful nan act, group a deadline of Sept. 1 for nan GSA statement and Oct. 1 for nan White House agreement, successful an effort to guarantee that incoming administrations are prepared to govern erstwhile they participate agency connected Jan. 20.

The White House announced that Biden had spoken to nan president-elect and expressed his committedness to ensuring a soft transition, while emphasizing nan value of moving to bring nan state together.

Biden besides called Harris to salute her for her campaign. And Trump and Harris said connected a telephone wherever nan president-elect “acknowledged Vice President Harris connected her strength, professionalism, and tenacity passim nan campaign, and some leaders agreed connected nan value of unifying nan country,” according to Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s agency said he called Trump and nan brace had a “warm and cordial” speech while besides also discussing nan ”Iranian threat.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had an “excellent call” pinch Trump, who has threatened to trim disconnected nan dependable travel of U.S. assistance and arms to his federation successful its conflict against Russia’s astir three-year-old invasion. “I praised his family and squad for their awesome work,” Zelenskyy said. “We agreed to support adjacent speech and beforehand our cooperation. Strong and unwavering U.S. activity is captious for nan world and for a conscionable peace.”

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Trump, too, arsenic did Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who said to nan president-elect to definitive “the kingdom’s aspiration to fortify nan humanities and strategical relations betwixt nan 2 countries, wishing nan friends American group advancement and prosperity nether his excellency’s leadership,” according to a connection from Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry.

Trump made his first overseas travel arsenic president during his first word to Saudi Arabia. He stood by nan kingdom then, moreover arsenic ties became strained complete nan sidesplitting of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi operatives successful Istanbul.

The president-elect has since vowed to bring bid to nan Middle East astatine a clip erstwhile Israel is astatine warfare pinch Hamas successful Gaza and Hezbollah successful Lebanon and has precocious traded occurrence pinch Iran. Trump, who was a staunch protagonist of Israel during his erstwhile term, has not said really he’d execute that.

Meanwhile, U.S. markets, banks and bitcoin each stormed higher Wednesday, arsenic did Tesla, owned by outspoken Trump protagonist Elon Musk, arsenic investors looked favorably connected a soft predetermination and Trump returning to nan White House.

Trump sewage much imaginable bully news pinch connection that typical counsel Jack Smith is evaluating really to upwind down nan two national cases against nan president-elect earlier he takes agency successful ray of longstanding Justice Department argumentation that says sitting presidents cannot beryllium prosecuted, according to a personification acquainted pinch Smith’s plans who was not authorized to talk nan matter by sanction and said connected information of anonymity to The Associated Press.

Smith charged Trump past twelvemonth pinch plotting to overturn nan results of nan 2020 statesmanlike election and illegally hoarding classified documents astatine his Mar-a-Lago estate. The second lawsuit had already been dismissed. But Trump’s predetermination triumph intends that nan Justice Department believes he tin nary longer look prosecution successful accordance pinch decades-old section ineligible opinions meant to shield presidents from criminal charges while successful office.

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Miller and Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Tom Beamont and Michelle L. Price successful Washington contributed to this report.