President-elect Donald Trump returned to Washington on Wednesday for the first time since winning last week's election.

US President Joe Biden welcomed Trump to the White House for an Oval Office visit, a traditional part of the peaceful transfer of power. Four years ago, after losing the election, Trump himself refused to take part in the ritual.

"Donald, congratulations," Biden said, greeting Trump with a handshake in the Oval Office and adding that he looks forward to "a smooth transition." He promised to do all he could "to make sure you're accommodated."

"Thank you very much," Trump answered. "Politics is tough, and in many cases it's not a very nice world. It is a nice world today and I appreciate it very much," he said after the handshake, adding that the transition would be "smooth as you can get."

Trump celebrates with fellow Republicans

Earlier in the day, Trump arrived at Joint Base Andrews on board his own plane, dubbed "Trump Force One." He then went on to celebrate his victory with his fellow Republicans in the House of Representatives, who retained control of the chamber, as they reached the 218 needed to be in the majority on Wednesday, a week after the election.

"Isn't it nice to win? It's nice to win. It's always nice to win," Trump said, who received a standing ovation from House Republicans.

"I suspect I won't be running again unless you say he's good we got to figure something else," Presdient-elect aid to laughter from the lawmakers.

"He is the comeback king," House Speaker Mike Johnson said, before Trump's arrival. "We owe him a great debt of gratitude."

What did Biden and Trump talk about?

Biden and Trump have been sharply critical of each other for years. During the campaign, Biden has portrayed Trump as a threat to democracy, while Trump has portrayed Biden as incompetent. But the White House described their meeting, which lasted about two hours, as "very cordial, very gracious." 

"It was a substantive meeting," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. "They discussed important national security and domestic policy issues facing the nation and the world."

After the meeting, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden stressed to Trump that it was crucial to continue US support for Ukraine against Russia. "President Biden reinforced his view that the United States standing with Ukraine on an ongoing basis is in our national security interest," Sullivan told a briefing.

Meanwhile, Trump told the New York Post that he and Biden "talked very much about the Middle East" during their conversation. "I wanted to know his views on where we are," Trump said. "And he gave them to me, he was very gracious," the Post quoted Trump as saying.

Trump's meeting with Biden comes as he moves quickly to name his administration. However, Trump's team has yet to sign agreements that would provide office space and government equipment, as well as access to government officials, facilities and information, according to the White House.

dh/jcg (AP, AFP, Reuters)