Presidential Historian Raves Over ‘Heartwarming’ Trump-Biden Meeting on MSNBC After ‘Surreal Carnival’ Election
Presidential historian and Rice University professor Douglas Brinkley raved that Wednesday’s White House meeting between President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump was a “heartwarming” moment for the country.
Brinkley joined MSNBC’s Chris Jansing to react to Trump meeting with Biden for two hours at the White House, with footage of the two shaking hands being shown while Brinkley praised the moment.
The historian argued it was a moment that offered a needed “calming effect” after the “surreal carnival” that was the 2024 presidential election.
Brinkley said:
Well, 2024 was a strange and brutal political year. Joe Biden not doing his Super Bowl commercial, the moving of the presidential debates to the spring instead of the fall, the deer in the headlights performance by Biden, Harris becoming the Democratic Party nominee, Trump being shot at Butler, we can go on and on and on.
It has been kind of a surreal carnival, and this has a calming effect. It’s towards the end of the year. Thanksgiving is coming. Some people feel thank goodness the election is over and just seeing the photos of the two of them together in a genial fashion, assumably talking a lot about public policy and world affairs, it’s heartwarming and reminds us we can go on. It is the absolute right thing for both Trump and Biden to be doing right now.
Brinkley acknowledged there is “bad blood” between the two, noting Melania Trump turned down a White House invitation from First Lady Jill Biden.
“Let’s not be mistaken on what’s happening here — I’m sure each of them are rolling their eyes at certain things the others said. Joe Biden has spent a lifetime fighting on behalf of NATO. He is one of the great cold warriors and he, I am sure, is trying to convince President Trump to stay the course with Zelensky and the Ukraine, to remind Trump not to abandon the Atlantic Alliance. There probably was talk about climate change and whether it is really smart to pull out of international agreements or not,” he said.
Brinkley also pointed to Biden’s son Hunter Biden as a partial motivating factor to have a cordial meeting with Trump. Biden has said he will not pardon his son Hunter while Trump has surprised some critics by repeatedly saying that he is open to a pardon. Hunter Biden is facing sentencing next month for gun and tax crimes.
“He may have to pardon his son Hunter,” Brinkley said. “He would love it if Trump would do it for him, but Trump might say, ‘I’ll stay quiet about that, do what you have to do.'”
Watch above via MSNBC.
