On the day of the 2025 inauguration, an unexpected moment unfolded between President Donald Trump and outgoing President Joe Biden. Trump remarked that, were it not for politics, the two might have been “great friends.”
This comment came as a surprise, considering Trump’s past public criticisms of Biden and his decision to replace Biden’s White House portrait with one of an autopen. Yet, during their in-person encounter, Trump extended a warm and friendly demeanor towards the Democrat.
The details of these inauguration day exchanges resurfaced in the media spotlight this week, courtesy of Eric Trump. In a conversation with Megyn Kelly, Eric shared that his younger half-brother, Barron, approached Biden with a whispered “congratulations” and “best of luck to you” following Trump’s inaugural address.
Eric emphasized the respectfulness of Barron’s gesture, countering speculation on social media that suggested otherwise. “Something very respectable,” he noted, dismissing assumptions that Barron had uttered anything derogatory.
It appears that Barron’s conduct mirrored his father’s unexpectedly cordial approach. This theme of civility was further documented in “Retribution,” a book by ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, which was released recently. Karl’s account of the 2025 inauguration captures similar moments of cordiality between the senior Trump and Biden, painting a picture of an inauguration day that, in some ways, transcended political rivalry.
In Retribution, the campaign 2024 book written by ABC News’ Jonathan Karl that was released late last month, Karl captured similar inauguration day pleasantries between the senior Trump and Biden.
It started when the president and First Lady Melania Trump were greeted by the Bidens on the White House’s North Portico inauguration day morning.
‘You’re a really beautiful couple,’ Trump purred as they walked into the White House, two sources told Karl. ‘You’re always so close. It’s really nice to see you.’
First Lady Jill Biden (left), President Joe Biden (center left), President-elect Donald Trump (right) and First Lady Melania Trump (right) pose for pictures on the White House’s North Portico on inauguration day 2025, with Trump sharing unexpected pleasantries with Biden
First Lady Jill Biden and President Joe Biden (left) greet President-elect Donald Trump and Melania Trump (right) on the White House’s North Portico on inauguration day. ‘You’re a really beautiful couple,’ Trump said, according to Jonathan Karl’s book Retribution
After losing the 2020 election and contesting the results, Trump had skipped Biden’s 2021 inauguration four years before, held in the aftermath of the January 6 Capitol attack.
Karl wrote that on inauguration day 2025, the ‘closest Trump came to apologizing for his behavior’ was when he turned to Biden and said, ‘Politics brings out the worst in people.’
‘We’d be great friends if it weren’t for politics,’ Trump told Biden. ‘We’d be great friends, Joe.’
This was the same Trump who had reacted to Biden’s last-minute pardons of people like Dr. Anthony Fauci with public disgust.
‘It is disgraceful,’ Trump had texted NBC’s Meet the Press host Kristen Welker earlier that morning. ‘Many are guilty of MAJOR CRIMES,’ Trump added, without evidence.
After meeting at the White House, Trump and Biden rode in the presidential limo, the Beast, to the U.S. Capitol together.
One of Trump’s aides and placed the president-elect’s phone in the back of the limo, a move that seemed to unnerve Biden, Karl wrote.
To cut the tension, Trump grabbed his phone and told the outgoing commander-in-chief, ‘Let’s see what people are saying about you!’
President Joe Biden (left) can be seen grinning as he and President-elect Donald Trump traveled from the White House to the U.S. Capitol for Trump’s swearing-in. Sources told Karl they discussed the cold weather and the NFL playoffs
‘Oh look, they are all talking about what a great job you’ve done!’ Trump told Biden, as he dramatically scrolled through his notifications, Karl wrote.
The incoming and outgoing president kept the rest of the conversation light, sources told the longtime ABC News White House correspondent, talking about the frigid weather that pushed the swearing-in ceremony indoors and the ongoing NFL playoffs.
In the Rotunda, however, Trump was back to the Trump seen on the campaign trail.
With Democratic Presidents Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton seated nearby, Trump raged against a ‘radical and corrupt establishment’ saying his election was a mandate to ‘completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal.’
He knocked the Biden administration for not being able to manage ‘a simple crisis at home’ while ‘stumbling into a continuing catalogue of catastrophic events abroad.’
During the campaign, Trump had blamed Biden’s messy pullout from Afghanistan as the reason Russian President Vladimir Putin had invaded Ukraine. He also pushed that the Gaza war wouldn’t have started if he had remained president.
Trump pronounced that ‘America’s decline is over’ now that he had returned.
Afterward, he and Melania escorted the Bidens to the Marine One-style helicopter on the east side of the Capitol Building for the official departure.
President Donald Trump can be seen whispering in the ear of outgoing President Joe Biden before the Bidens departed Washington, D.C. on inauguration day 2025. ABC News’ Jonathan Karl captured what was said in his book Retribution, which was released late last month
Karl said that one of the individuals waiting in the helicopter filmed Trump saying goodbye to Biden’
‘I’ve viewed this remarkable piece of video,’ he wrote. ‘As I’ve personally experienced many times, Trump has a unique capacity to be savagely ruthless at one moment and exceedingly generous and complimentary the next.’
Cameras caught Trump leaning in to whisper something to Biden.
‘Stay in touch,’ Trump said. ‘Let me know if there is anything you need.’
