Donald Trump entered the Oval Office for the first time as president-elect yesterday to meet Barack Obama as the two men attempted to set a conciliatory tone for the transition of power after a historically bitter campaign.
Mr Trump said the meeting was originally scheduled for 10-15 minutes, but instead lasted nearly an hour and a half. “As far as I am concerned it could have gone on for a lot longer,” he said. They “discussed a lot of different situations, some wonderful . . . some difficulties.”
It came after years in which the two men, who had never previously met, exchanged highly personal insults. Mr Trump led the “birther” campaign that questioned whether Mr Obama was born in the US, while Mr Obama once mocked the idea of a Trump presidency at a formal Washington dinner with the billionaire in attendance.