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Biden and Trump meet for the first time since election to discuss transition of power

Joe Biden and Donald Trump have met for the first time since the US election to discuss the transition of power.

The media were only allowed in the Oval Office for a short time, hearing a brief portion of the exchange between the outgoing president and president-elect.

Videos of the encounter show the pair sitting in chairs by the fireplace and seeming to engage in a friendly conversation.

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The exchange caught by media:

“We’re looking forward to having a smooth transition like we said. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated and have what you need, and we’ll get a chance to talk about some of that today. Welcome, welcome back,” Biden said.

“Thank you very much. And 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,” Trump replied.

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You can watch the video below.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said the meeting lasted almost two hours and was civilised.

“The length of the meeting tells you that they had an in-depth conversation on an array of issues,” she said,

“The president is always going to, obviously, keep that line of communication open to the president-elect.”

Trump will assume the presidency on January 20.

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