The White House is now confronted with a different reality after Trump's friendly reception of the 'existential threat' comment.
Since the November election, Biden has not labeled Trump as a threat to democracy's existence.
On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that President Biden still considers President-elect Trump to be a "grave danger" to democracy.
Jean-Pierre stated that the current situation calls for a different approach.
The American people's will was clear in the election, as she informed reporters at the daily White House press briefing.
Biden and Trump met at the White House last week and agreed to a "smooth transition" as the 45th and 47th president prepares to take office in January.
Despite the heated rhetoric used before Election Day, Biden and Harris's cordial meeting stood in stark contrast to their previous statements, where they called Trump a "fascist" and warned of the danger to American democracy if he won.
After being welcomed back to the White House by Biden, Trump stated that although politics can be challenging and often unpleasant, it is a pleasant world today.
Jean-Pierre stated on Thursday that Biden's change in tone is an attempt to set an example and ensure a peaceful transfer of power.
"He feels obligated, but we are now in a different place. We are – the American people voted. They deserve a peaceful transfer of power."
She reiterated that Biden's beliefs about Trump have "not changed."
Trump was never invited to visit the White House by Biden.
In 2016, after losing his re-election bid to Biden, Trump unsuccessfully attempted to challenge the election results.
Trump did not invite Biden to the White House and, two weeks after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Trump left Washington ahead of Biden's presidential inauguration, making him the first sitting president in a century and a half to skip out on a successor's inauguration.
Since their one and only debate on June 27 in Atlanta, the meeting between Biden and Trump was the first time they had met. Most viewers deemed Biden to have lost the debate. A month later, Biden withdrew from the 2024 election and endorsed Harris.
Planet Chronicle Digital's Brooke Singman and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
politics
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