Civility at the White House as Trump sends Washington into an evening tailspin

At the White House on Wednesday, a hugely anticipated moment – the beginning of the transfer of power between two such fierce foes.

It was a moment of history, a moment of symbolism. It could have stoked bitterness and glee, but there was no sign of either.

However, it was not the biggest moment of the day. That came later.

For a second consecutive night, remarkable names have emerged for the people Donald Trump wants in his White House.

After Tuesday night’s news that Fox News host and former National Guard Major, Pete Hegseth, had been chosen by Mr Trump to be the next defence secretary, on Wednesday night came another Trump bombshell – and it sent establishment eyebrows beyond orbit.

‘A gonzo agent of chaos’

Firebrand, ultra-Maga loyalist Matt Gaetz has been announced as Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, the country’s top law enforcement official.

This was entirely unexpected and sent Washington into an evening tailspin.

Veteran Democratic senator Chris Murphy declared the announcement to be “a red alert moment for our democracy”.

Representative Jim Himes, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN the role of attorney general requires “…care, prudency, a deep respect for the rule of law… Matt Gaetz is the opposite of all of those things, he is a gonzo agent of chaos”.

Gaetz, 42, has faced multiple allegations of wrongdoing, including a federal sex trafficking probe that ended without charges against him.

A related House ethics inquiry is ongoing but would be dropped if he were to leave Congress because it only has jurisdiction in that forum.

He has never worked as a prosecutor and has only worked in law for a few years at local level.

His nomination requires the approval of Congress. Even with a Republican majority in both houses, Gaetz may struggle. He is not popular among more traditional Republican politicians.

For Donald Trump, the choice reflects precisely the vision he outlined for the Justice Department – a department that will do his bidding with no sense of independence or objectivity.

It is an intentionally provocative pick of a proud provocateur. On brand to a tee and it is the product of American democracy.

The White House transition

Earlier in the day, Donald Trump’s private jet touched down at Joint Base Andrews on the edge of Washington DC. The cameras caught it passing the parked presidential jets on the tarmac – the planes that will be flying him again soon.

The president-elect’s staff were framing this flight to Washington as a triumphant return. On social media, one senior adviser set the images of the landing to the sound of Kanye West’s Homecoming.

It was back to the future for the comeback president.

As he descended the steps of “Trump Force One”, I’d have given more than a penny for the inner thoughts of the man.

Surely, for him, this moment was a neat two fingers for the many who said he never would; that he never could.

But he did. Four years ago he was a busted flush in the eyes of the Washington establishment; a liability to them exiled to Mar-a-Lago. He had lost the White House and his party had failed to win either house of congress.

Four years on, he won back the White House, taking every one of America’s swing states, and his party has won both houses of Congress – a clean sweep. And he did it all despite the court cases, the warnings that he is a threat to the democracy of the nation.

Love him or loathe him, admire him or fear him, his return on Wednesday to the White House to begin the transition to be America’s 47th president is a stunning political turnaround.

Anticipating this moment of transition, this moment in history, the cameras of the world were there.

The incoming president was a few minutes late for his appointment with the outgoing president. They met in the Oval Office in front of a roaring fire that was, for sure, warmer than the vibe in the room.

A handshake and civility

For all the anticipation – what would it be like? The body language? The mood?

If Donald Trump was gleeful, he didn’t show it. If Joe Biden was bitter, he didn’t show it either.

Two men who have such starkly different visions shook hands. Two men who have exchanged such brutal words for each other over the course of many years now smiled and exchanged pleasantries.

“A danger to democracy,” Joe Biden has said of Donald Trump so many times. Well, now the process of democracy required this moment: a handshake and civility.

President Biden surely wanted to give Donald Trump what he never offered four years ago: a concession of defeat and a transition.

Remember, in 2020, there was no Oval Office moment. Instead, Donald Trump was denying he had lost the election.

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It was the outgoing press secretary left to describe the details of the two-hour meeting.

“I can say that it was indeed very cordial, very gracious and substantive. And I mentioned at the top, national security was discussed, domestic policy issues were discussed.”

By nightfall, the White House had released the official photos of the meeting. They are images for the ages.

It is almost as if the last few years never happened.

A reset? No.

A pause for posterity, before the new world begins.