Former President Joe Biden says his nearly two-hour 2024 transition meeting with then-President-elect Donald Trump included a wide-ranging discussion of foreign policy, from Ukraine to China.
Biden recounts the session in an excerpt from his forthcoming memoir, Promise Me, America, published by The Atlantic on Nov. 9. The two met in the Oval Office on Nov. 13, eight days after the election. Biden writes that their conversation had been booked for 30 minutes but continued much longer. He recalls Trump telling him they might have been “good friends” without politics, and says he was too surprised to respond.
Biden says he used the extended session to brief Trump on Ukraine, NATO, Russia, Gaza and the Middle East, China, the Americas and Africa. He also recalls Trump praising his job-creation record and saying he was relieved not to have faced Biden in the election. Biden writes that he redirected the discussion to policy. He presents the longer conversation as part of the presidential transition and the transfer of responsibilities between administrations.
The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) transcript records the meeting’s public opening. Biden welcomed Trump and offered help with the transition; Trump thanked him and spoke about the handoff. The transcript does not include the private remarks Biden recalls, so it documents the public exchange but not the later conversation. EconoTimes previously reported Biden’s account of Trump’s friendship remark.
Little, Brown and Company announced Promise Me, America in July and lists Nov. 17, 2026, as its on-sale date. The publisher describes it as Biden’s account of his presidency and his decision to seek another term before withdrawing from the 2024 race.
