Staff Reports
President-elect Donald J. Trump recently took a victorious lap back to the White House, where he met with outgoing President Joe Biden in what can only be described as a comical spectacle. These two have traded barbs more than once, but for the cameras, they managed to maintain a veneer of civility that everyone saw through. The seriousness of their meeting was undermined by Biden’s team emerging from the woodwork, eager to witness what would surely be an awkward reunion brought on by the extraordinarily unorthodox transition of power.
This moment, while historic, was not lost on even the critics of Trump. The sheer absurdity of Biden’s staff burning up pixels to capture every second was nothing short of entertaining. Here was a man who had questions about his own faculties and a former president who relentlessly challenged those same questioned faculties, united in a shared space that screamed irony. It’s hard to balance admiration for Trump’s return with the cringe-inducing juxtaposition of Biden’s attempts to come off as the gracious host.
Spot the difference pic.twitter.com/rAVTTayQXD
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) November 13, 2024
The contrast between this meeting and Trump’s previous one with Barack Obama eight years ago was palpable. Trump has now done what only Grover Cleveland has done before: preside over two non-consecutive terms. Biden had the audacity to roll out the red carpet and encourage a smooth transition. All the while, Trump sat there likely daydreaming about the policies he could implement once he reclaimed the Oval Office—an office he could easily re-decorate without the constant threats of “you can’t do that” from the left.
The two men talked for nearly two hours, which is more time than a lunch date between Biden and any of his usual legislative buddies. The White House press secretary characterized the meeting as substantial, but what exactly could have been on Trump’s mind? Speculation flew: was he quizzing Biden on his recipes for chocolate chip cookies or perhaps discussing pet topics like the latest in social justice initiatives? Again, the absurdity of the situation gave way to humor.
Amidst all this pomp and circumstance, social media exploded with commentary. Memes circulated that compared Biden to historical figures like Hitler, showing just how ridiculous the left’s rhetoric has become. The Democrats might want to rethink their strategy if they are likening Trump to notorious dictators while gleefully posing for a photo op with him. It just fueled the fire that people on the right knew all along: it was never a serious attack; it was just noise designed for a particular audience that was, evidently, not receptive to complex arguments.
So here lies the reality: the American electorate is savvy enough to see through the ridiculous antics of the left. The ones who didn’t vote blue but instead supported Trump have shown that they believe in a functioning democracy that doesn’t go around calling political opponents ‘fascists’ while shaking their hands. The optics of a peaceful transfer of power may save face for Biden, but in the end, the reality is that Trump’s shadow looms larger than the photo op could ever fully obscure.
