The most powerful man in America and the one Americans elected to replace him met at the White House this morning for more than 90 minutes in a public display of unity intended to help the country digest the shocking results of Tuesday's presidential election.
The two men had never met each other. President-elect Donald Trump said he intended for the getting-to-know-you meeting to last ten to 15 minutes but it went on much longer, delving into areas of policy.
He described sitting President Barack Obama as a 'very good' man when it was finished as a pack of reporters hurled questions.
'I very much look forward to dealing with the president in the future, including counsel,' he said in a statement. 'He explained some of the difficulties some of the high flying assets, some of the really great things that have been achieved.'
Obama spoke first, telling reporters his top priority was 'ensure our president-elect is successful'.
'I have been very encouraged by… the interest in President Elect Trump's wanting to work with my team,' he said.
The president-elect and the first lady in waiting, Melania Trump, departed from LaGuardia airport in New York at 9.36am on his way to Washington on Thursday morning on his personal aircraft, a Boeing 757, emblazoned with his name. They arrived at Ronald Reagan National Airport just after 10.30am.
The future first couple entered the White House complex 20 minutes later via a back entrance through the South Lawn that is inaccessible to media.
Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, owner of the New York Observer and a senior adviser to the president-elect's campaign, was also in tow. Kushner was also seen in the Oval Office as Trump and Obama spoke to the media.
President-elect Donald Trump and current President Barack Obama and an hour-long meeting at the White House on Wednesday morning
The pair shook hands during a photo-op following their one-on-one meeting in which they discussed policies
Trump described Obama as a 'very good' man when the meeting was finished as a pack of reporters hurled questions at the pair
Obama said that he was 'encouraged' by the conversation he had with Trump on Wednesday morning
Trump and Obama addressed the press with short comments about their meeting following their hour-and-a-half long talk
Trump called the meeting a 'great honor' and noted that he had never met President Obama before Wednesday's meeting
Trump said he walked in thinking the meeting would only last '15 minutes' but concluded by the end that it could have gone on 'much longer'
Trump told reporters of Obama: 'I very much look forward to dealing with the president in the future, including counsel'
Obama and Trump were surrounded by dozens of photographers and press members following their meeting in the Oval Office
The Bushes gave the Obamas a warm welcome when they came to the White House on November 11, 2008, for a post-election briefing.
The Bushes made a show of it, posing for portraits with the president-elect and his wife in front of the White House's private entrance.
Bush lined up photographers to shoot he and Obama walking down the colonnade that leads to the Oval Office.
Trump has two meetings on Capitol Hill after he finishes with Obama. He's lunching with House Speaker Paul Ryan immediately after. Indiana Governor Mike Pence, the vice-president elect, will join Trump at a meeting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after that.
Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner (pictured behind Trump's campaign press secretary Hope Hicks), owner of the New York Observer and a senior adviser to the president-elect's campaign, was in the Oval Office while Trump and Obama spoke to reporters
Donald Trump and Paul Ryan had a lunch meeting, and then they met with other GOP leaders at Capitol Hill
Ryan says he and President-elect Donald Trump had a "fantastic, productive meeting" at the Capitol. Trump called the meeting 'an honor', adding that he thought they were 'going to do some absolutely spectacular things for the American people'
Trump and Melania were given a tour of Capitol Hill by House Speaker Paul Ryan upon arrival on Wednesday afternoon
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (center) met with Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence (left) at around 2.30pm
McConnell showed Pence, Trump and Trump's wife Melania through Capitol Hill on Wednesday afternoon
Trump and Melania walked hand in hand as they followed McConnell to a meeting on Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon
Pence, Trump and McConnell had a meeting after Trump met with Ryan and other GOP leaders on Capitol Hill
Vice President-elect Mike Pence waves as his motorcade arrives at the Capitol Hill Club on Wednesday ahead of his meetings
Following his meeting with Obama, Trump headed over to Capitol Hill (his motorcade pictured above), where he has two meetings
While at Capitol Hill, Trump is lunching with House Speaker Paul Ryan and has another meeting immediately after
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told the media on Wednesday that Obama wants to give Trump the 'opportunity to succeed' at president
Now they must come together with him and prove to the country and the world that America is a shining example of a functioning democracy.
Today's meeting was expected to last an hour but it had not concluded at 12:30, the start time of Trump's next meeting, with Ryan.
Ryan says he wants to stay on as House Speaker despite his rocky relationship with Trump. The GOP leader endorsed Trump this summer before the nominating convention but rescinded his support after a video emerged of Trump saying he uses his celebrity to grab women by the genitals.
The White House said on Wednesday that the sitting president planned to press the president-elect not to take an ax to all of his key policies.
The current administration is especially concerned that Trump, who spent the campaign promising to repeal and Obamacare, will cancel millions of Americans' health insurance plans without a new mechanism in place.
The White House is also terrified that Trump will immediately round up and deport the illegal immigrant children they said could stay.
A Marine is standing guard out the entrance to the West Wing, where president-elect Donald Trump and current president Barack Obama are meeting today
As Trump met with Obama, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who was seen as Trump's de facto campaign manager during the presidential race, met with White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough
Trump aide Dan Scavino (left) and other members of President-elect Donald Trump's staff arrive at the White House as Trump attends a transition planning meeting with Obama
President-elect Donald Trump's motorcade makes its way through Washington, DC, to the White House where he will meet with President Barack Obama
As Trump meets with Obama, First lady Michelle Obama planned to meet privately in the White House residence with Trump's wife, Melania Trump, while Vice President Joe Biden prepared to see Vice President-elect Mike Pence
President-elect Trump waves to the crowd as he steps of his private plane as he arrives in Washington, DC, on Thursday morning
Trump and his wife, Melania, walked off the plane first in Washington, DC, as vice president-elect Mike Pence followed closely behind
President-elect Donald Trump arrives in Washington, DC, for a meeting with current president Barack Obama at the White House
Trump flew into Reagan International Airport in Arlington, Virginia, which is just a 15 to 20 minute drive to the White House
Thursday's Oval Office meeting is the symbolic start of the transition of power from Obama to Trump, who will enter the office in January
While in Washington, DC, Trump also plans to meet with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, to discuss the GOP legislative agenda.
The president-elect has been unclear how quickly he'll move on that aspect of his agenda, though he says he will rescind the executive orders Obama issued saying they could remain in the country indefinitely.
Outside the White House Secret Service officers braced for the coming protests. Riot gear and gas masks were on hand in case the confrontations became violent.
Pennsylvania Avenue and the adjacent park were overcome by construction in preparation for the January inauguration.
Workers were busy building wooden risers on Thursday morning for the massive number of journalists that will descend on Washington for the festivities. The bullet proof viewing box for the VIPs and members of the new and old administrations will soon be brought in as well.
Vice President-elect Mike Pence is also visiting the White House today for a 2.30pm meeting with the outgoing Vice President Joe Biden.
In a twist of irony, basketball player LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavilers, will also meet with the president today at the White House.
James and his teammates are being honored for their NBA Championship. James appeared with Clinton at a rally in the final days of the race and encouraged his fans not to vote for Trump.
The high-profile meeting between Obama and his successor set the White House into a frenzy on Thursday. Staffers continued to mourn what could have been under a President Clinton as they turned their focus to the impending transition.
Ceremonial farewell: Two firetrucks sprayed jets of water in the air as Trump's plane taxied at La Guardia airport
Goodbye New York: Trump waved from his armored SUV as he swept out of Trump Tower just after 9.10am
On board: President-elect Trump walked up the rear stairs to his private 757 with his wife Melania (circled) ahead of him. Vice-president elect Mike Pence is also on the trip
Fist lady in waiting steps out: Melania Trump left the armored SUV as she prepared to board the plane to Washington to meet Michelle Obama. Her Secret Service codename is Muse
On his way: When Trump lands in Washington he will meet the president in the Oval Office with Mike Pence, his vice-president-elect at his side. Joe Biden, the vice-president, will also be present
Historic trip: This will be the first meeting between Obama and Trump at the White House - and possibly ever. The pair are never known to have met although they have been in the same rooms
For the first time in eight years the country will have a new president on January 20, and he will come from the opposing political party.
In anticipation of a Clinton win, White House aides seemingly made no plans to hand over the keys Trump.
'There's no specific thing that I have in mind that we're going to do differently now,' White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said after he was asked by a reporter if the administration was building a 'firewall' to protect Obama-era policies. 'Our plan all along was to ensure the successful implementation of those and other priorities, and we're going to be committed to doing everything we can to ensure the success of those policies between now and January 20th.'
Trump has said he will dismantle the Democratic president's health care law, deport the 11 million illegal immigrants in the country, negotiate the 12-nation trade deal brokered by the Obama administration and remand the nuclear agreement with Iran.
Previewing the meeting today between the president and the president-elect, Earnest said Obama would talk to Trump 'about some of these policies and about some of the benefits of some of these policies.'
'The President-elect's team will have an opportunity to get briefed by the national security experts here in the Obama administration that have been working on implementing these policies. But, ultimately, the President-elect will be the person that is responsible for setting the path of foreign policy for the United States for the next four years,' Earnest said.
The anticipated show of civility at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue contrasted with post-election scenes of protests across a politically divided country.
Demonstrators from New England to the heartland and the West Coast vented against the election winner on Wednesday, chanting 'Not my president,' burning a papier-mache Trump head, beating a Trump pinata and carrying signs that said 'Impeach Trump'.
Republicans were emboldened by Trump's stunning victory over Hillary Clinton, giving the GOP control of the White House and both chambers of Congress.
'He just earned a mandate,' Ryan said.
Waving goodbye: Airport workers waved and took photographs of the departing president-elect's plane as it made the short journey to Washington
On the move: The president-elect was in a full Secret Service protective motorcade for the first time
Mogul is heading to Washington: POTUS-elect Trump was in a Secret Service armored SUV for the trip to La Guardia airport
Ambulance too: The use of an emergency medical vehicle in the motorcade puts President-elect Trump's protection at the same level as Obama's
Welomce: President Obama's meeting is the symbolic start of the transition of power
Still, Clinton was gracious in defeat, declaring: 'Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.'
Trump was uncharacteristically quiet in the aftermath of his triumph and made no public appearances Wednesday.
He huddled with jubilant, sleep-deprived advisers at his eponymous skyscraper in Manhattan, beginning the daunting task of setting up an administration that will take power in just over two months.
He also met with Pence and took calls from supporters, family and friends, according to spokeswoman Hope Hicks.
In Washington, Trump's scant transition team sprang into action, culling through personnel lists for top jobs and working through handover plans for government agencies.
Trump and Obama's meeting is a far cry from how former president George W Bush and his wife Laura greeted the Obamas in November 2008
When the Bushes met with the Obamas shortly after Barack Obama was elected president, George Bush opened their meeting to the press and waiting outside for them to arrive
George W and Laura Bush met with Barack and Michelle Obama on November 11, 2008, days after Obama had been elected the next president
While Trump and Obama are meeting in private and having a photo session afterward, the Bush family opened the meeting to the media from the start
Obama and Bush chatted as they walked through the colonnade at the White House during their meeting eight years ago
Trump was expected to consider several loyal supporters for top jobs, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for attorney general or national security adviser and campaign finance chairman Steve Mnuchin for Treasury secretary.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Tennessee Sen Bob Corker were also expected to be under consideration for foreign policy posts.
As president-elect, Trump is entitled to get the same daily intelligence briefing as Obama - one that includes information on US covert operations, information gleaned about world leaders and other data gathered by America's 17 intelligence agencies.
Waiting: Trump was being greeted at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, by another Secret Service motorcade
Might not be a comfortable meeting: Michelle Obama was last seen on stage on Monday night endorsing Hillary Clinton before her defeat. She will meet Melania Trump in the White House while their husbands talk in the Oval Office
First lady-in-waiting: Melania Trump will have talks with the current First Lady about life in the East Wing.
Getting ready for Trump power: The White House surroundings are now under construction in preparation for the inauguration in January
On his way: The massive effort to get ready for President Trump is not just inside the West Wing and Oval Office - it is outside in the public areas around the White House
Yuge effort: The scale of construction works needed for the inauguration means that like transition, they begin now
The White House said it would organize two exercises involving multiple agencies to help Trump's team learn how to respond to major domestic incidents.
If Trump makes good on his campaign promises, the nation stands on the brink of sweeping change in domestic and foreign policy.
He's pledged to repeal Obama's health care law and pull out of the landmark nuclear accord with Iran. He's vowed to build a wall along the US-Mexico border and temporarily ban immigration from nations with terror ties.
It's unclear whether Trump will embrace many of the traditions of the presidency.
He'll enter the White House owning his own private jet as well as a hotel just blocks away on Pennsylvania Avenue. He never allowed journalists to fly on his plane during the campaign, as is customary for White House nominees.
Issues of transparency bubbled up right from the start. On Wednesday evening, Trump aides said they would not bring the press corps to Washington with the president-elect for his meeting with Obama, breaking long-standing protocol.
Massive police presence: This was the scene around Trump Tower in New York late on Wednesday night and early on Tuesday morning.
Protests: Trump's defeat of Hillary Clinton has left the far-left angry and some came to New York's Trump Tower to hang him in effigy
Cost: The policing bill for the protests, which were unlicensed, will be huge, after NYPD put huge amounts of manpower on the city's streets
Culled from
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