Trump and Biden hold a meeting at the White House after the election

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump and President Biden behaved like old friends rather than bitter rivals in the Oval Office on Wednesday. They shook hands and exchanged warm words during Trump’s first trip to Washington since his re-election.

At the start of a meeting that lasted nearly two hours, the pair discussed plans for a peaceful transfer of power when Trump takes the oath of office for the second time on January 20. Biden, 81, smiled broadly as he told Trump “welcome back” after congratulating the Republican on his election victory, saying he was “looking forward” to “a smooth transition” and promising that Trump would be “accommodated” with whatever he needs.

“Politics is tough, and in many cases it is not a beautiful world, but today it is a beautiful world,” 78-year-old Trump responded.

“It’s going to be as smooth as possible, and I really appreciate it, Joe,” the former president added. The outgoing president said, “You’re welcome.”

Trump spoke warmly about the meeting with his former rival, telling The Post in a telephone interview as he left Washington that “we got to know each other again in those two hours.”

“You know, it’s taken a long time, it’s been a long battle,” Trump said. “It’s been a lot of work on both sides and he’s done a really good job on campaigns and everything else. We had a really nice meeting.”

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Trump and Biden were joined by their respective chiefs of staff, Susie Wiles and Jeff Zients, as they discussed topics including the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

“I wanted — I asked for his opinion and he gave it to me,” Trump told The Post about the Ukraine discussion. “We also talked a lot about the Middle East. I wanted to know his opinion on where we are and what, what he thinks. And he gave them to me, he was very friendly.

The White House also described the meeting as very “gracious,” with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying it was “cordial” and “substantive.”

“They discussed important national security and domestic policy issues facing the nation and the world. President Biden also raised key items on Congress’s to-do list for the Lame Duck session, including funding the government and providing additional disaster funding that the President requested,” Jean-Pierre said.

She did not reveal whether Biden “apologized” for his previous inflammatory comments about Trump or whether the two spoke about Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I look forward to leading a smooth transition and peaceful transition of power,” Biden wrote on what she needs.”

The 45th president told The Post that he enjoyed seeing the “beautiful” Oval Office again after a four-year absence and that he was “looking forward” to returning to the White House.

Trump also revealed that he expects to see Biden again before the inauguration, saying the process of filling out his administration was going “very smoothly.”

“They are happy with everything. We have some people who are getting great accolades. So I think it’s going to be a great team, hopefully for the country, if I’m right,” he said of his nominees.

First lady Jill Biden joined the president to greet Trump and passed a handwritten letter to Melania Trump, who refused to attend a traditional meeting with Jill Biden in a fit of anger over the attack on Mar-a-Lago in August 2022.

The letter included congratulations and expressed the Bidens’ willingness to prepare the White House for a smooth transition — something the administration has emphasized since Harris’ loss to Trump on Nov. 5.

Trump entered and left the White House through the South Portico, bypassing hundreds of reporters who had gathered outside the West Wing hoping to hear from the once and future commander in chief.

Supporters of the 45th president also gathered at the gates outside the White House hoping to catch a glimpse of his motorcade as he drove up Pennsylvania Avenue.

Before arriving at the White House, Trump addressed the jubilant Republicans in the House of Representatives, who have claimed a majority in the next two years.

“It’s nice to win,” Trump told the assembled lawmakers, before joking, “I guess I won’t run again unless you say, ‘He’s so good, we gotta figure something else out.’”