President-elect Trump and former President Biden sat down for a meeting in the Oval Office on Wednesday, just more than a week after the Republican's decisive win secured his return to the White House.

“Politics is tough, and in many cases it’s not a nice world, but it is a nice world today,” Trump said while the two leaders sat by the fireplace.

Biden, who beat Trump in 2020 and was set for a rematch this year before dropping out of the race in July, congratulated him on his victory. Biden had repeatedly warned that another Trump term would damage democracy but after the election pledged to follow tradition and provide Trump's team with a smooth transition.

“Congratulations, and I look forward to having a smooth transition,” Biden said.

“It will be as smooth as it can get, and I very much appreciate that, Joe,” Trump replied. 

Reporters were ushered out of the room after about a minute as the meeting between the two was underway.  The meeting lasted slightly less than two hours, with Trump entering the Oval Office at 11:07 a.m. EST and leaving just after 1 p.m. EST.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre described the meeting as “very cordial, very gracious” and said that Trump “came with a detailed set of questions.”

Biden answered his successor’s questions and “offered up his thoughts,” she said. “There was a very good back and forth.”

She wouldn’t go into detail about the questions but called it “a substantive meeting, an exchange of views.” Jean-Pierre said the two leaders talked about foreign policy and domestic issues and that Biden raised what Congress has to do during the lame duck period like government funding and the disaster supplemental package.

Jean-Pierre was questioned on if Biden apologized in the meeting for calling Trump a threat to democracy on the campaign trail and she replied, “what he said still stands.”

National security adviser Jake Sullivan also told reporters that Biden reinforced in the meeting his view that it’s in the U.S. national security interest not to walk away from Ukraine so “we don’t end up getting dragged directly into a war.”

Additionally, Sullivan said his team is prepared to work with Trump’s team to ensure the release of hostages still held by Hamas.

First lady Jill Biden joined the president in greeting Trump when he arrived at the White House. She gave Trump a handwritten letter of congratulations for his wife, former first lady Melania Trump, which also expressed her team’s readiness to assist with the transition.

White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and Trump’s incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles also attended the meeting.

Before visiting the White House, Trump met with GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Wednesday marks a celebratory day for Republicans, who won the House and Senate on the coattails of Trump’s victory, and a painful day for Biden and Democrats following the devastating loss by Vice President Harris.

The White House meeting was expected to be awkward, given the history between the two men. Four years ago, Trump contested the results of Biden’s win and broke a postelection tradition by never inviting him to the White House.

Updated at 2:45 p.m. EST