Photos: Presidents in Post-Election Transition

White House meetings between the president and his successor have long been a hallmark of the transfer of power.

By Gabriel T. Rubin and Dave Cole
Updated Jan. 22, 2021
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President Truman first held a public post-election Oval Office meeting, though some hosted their successors earlier. If President Trump doesn't meet President-elect Joe Biden, he will forgo a chance to showcase the tradition of peaceful transition.

Nov. 19, 1952

Relations between President Truman and President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower had become frigid, especially after Mr. Eisenhower refused to defend Gen. George Marshall—who served as Mr. Truman’s secretary of state—from charges leveled by Sen. Joseph McCarthy that Gen. Marshall was part of a Communist conspiracy.

Everett Collection

Dec. 6, 1960

At the time, Mr. Eisenhower was the oldest president ever and President-elect John F. Kennedy was the youngest ever elected, a visual contrast heightened by Mr. Eisenhower’s health problems in his second term.

Associated Press

Dec. 12, 1968

President Johnson promised President-elect Richard Nixon his full cooperation and offered to brief incoming cabinet secretaries. Just two days after Election Day, Mr. Nixon interrupted Mr. Johnson’s dinner for a long conversation about the Vietnam War.

Charles Tasnadi/Associated Press

Nov. 22, 1976

Almost immediately after sitting down together, President-elect Jimmy Carter was overheard asking President Ford for his thoughts on convening an international economic summit, which would provide Mr. Carter an opportunity to meet world leaders. Mr. Ford agreed it was a good idea.

Benjamin E. Forte/CNP/Getty Images

Nov. 20, 1980

President-elect Ronald Reagan arrived a few minutes early for his meeting with President Carter, so a White House butler greeted him and Nancy Reagan. Mr. Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter bumped into the Reagans as they came through the door, and the couples walked back outside for a photo op.

Associated Press

Nov. 9, 1988

'If you want to know how Nancy and I feel about it, just read our smiles,' President Reagan said. 'There’s never been a case in modern presidential politics where a president has worked so hard for someone else to achieve this office,' President-elect George H.W. Bush said.

Bob Daugherty/Associated Press

Nov. 18, 1992

President George H.W. Bush and President-elect Bill Clinton primarily discussed foreign-policy hot spots—Mr. Bush’s strong suit—and spent little time discussing domestic policy, Mr. Clinton’s primary focus during the campaign. After an Oval Office meeting, the two men went to the Roosevelt Room to continue discussing the transition with their aides.

Doug Mills/Associated Press

Dec. 19, 2000

The meeting between President Clinton and President-elect George W. Bush was delayed by the lengthy recount battle in Florida that was resolved on Dec. 12. Mr. Clinton hosted Mr. Bush the week before Christmas, just over a month before he would be sworn in as president.

David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images

Dec. 19, 2000

Mr. Bush also made an unusual visit to Vice President Al Gore’s official residence at the Naval Observatory to confer with his defeated opponent in what both men called a private discussion. Vice President-elect Dick Cheney didn’t accompany Mr. Bush to the meeting.

Tannen Maury/AFP/Getty Images

Nov. 10, 2008

Though President-elect Barack Obama had been a critic of the Bush administration, the two men are said to have gotten along well, and spent most of their time discussing the financial crisis and plans to bail out the auto industry.

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Nov. 10, 2016

President Obama wanted to emulate President George W. Bush's conduct as he prepared to leave office. Mr. Obama spent his meeting with President-elect Donald Trump trying to convince him of the importance of accomplishments like the Affordable Care Act.

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