Live updates: Trump meets Biden at the White House; Election of GOP majority leader

Nearly four years after he left Washington, DC under a cloud of shame rather than attend Joe Biden’s inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump’s customized 757 landed at Joint Base Andrews and taxied almost to the exact spot from which he Air Force One left the same airport on board.

There was no red carpet to meet him this time. There was no salute upon his arrival, and only a single Air Force officer waited to greet the man who will become commander-in-chief of the world’s most powerful military for the second time in just a few months. About 20 miles away at the White House, Trump was greeted with nowhere near the pomp that would await him after his inauguration on Jan. 20, four years to the day after he left without greeting Biden upon his arrival.

Wyoming Senator John Barrasso was elected Republican majority leader after running unopposed for the office Politico.

Barrasso, 72, joined the Senate in 2007 and is currently chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, the No. 3 caucus.

John Thune was elected in a secret ballot and is expected to take over as the new Senate majority leader in January when the new Congress begins.

Thune is the first new Republican Senate leader in 18 years, succeeding the longest-serving Senate leader, Mitch McConnell.

The South Dakota senator will assume leadership of the Senate Republican caucus as the GOP takes control of both chambers of Congress as well as the White House.

Thune is the current top Republican politician and, at 63, is considered relatively young by the standards of Republican leadership. He succeeds McConnell (82) and won in the second round against John Cornyn (72).

Republicans are expected to govern with a 53-seat majority in the Senate as they tackle tax cuts, crackdown on immigration and energy policy.

Accordingly, South Dakota Senator John Thune was elected as the new Senate GOP leader with a margin of 29 votes to 24 over Texas Senator John Cornyn Punch.

Thune won re-election in 2022, meaning he won’t be eligible for re-election until 2028, when Trump’s second term ends.

Accordingly, Senators John Thune and John Cornyn have advanced to the second ballot in the Republican Senate election for majority leader Politico.

Senator Rick Scott was eliminated.

The total vote count was 23 votes for Thune, 15 for Cornyn and 13 for Scott.

Here’s a grinning Joe Biden meeting Trump right now.

According to the pool report, the two men were also joined by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, who presented her guest with a handwritten congratulatory letter to pass on to Melania Trump, in which she also expressed her team’s willingness to assist with the transition.

Here are the 46th and 47th presidents pictured together in the Oval Office in front of a roaring fire:

Her remarks lasted about a minute, with Trump noting, “Politics is hard,” and adding, “And in many cases it’s not a beautiful world. But it is a beautiful world today.”

He also thanked Biden for his invitation, who simply replied: “You’re welcome.”

Trump added that the transition between their two administrations would be “as smooth as possible, and I really appreciate that, Joe.”

The men then met privately without members of the press present, with Trump appearing to mock the repeal of term limits.