Biden Recounts Trump's Golf Remark From Transition
In an excerpt from his memoir, Joe Biden describes a 2024 White House meeting in which Donald Trump said the two could have been golfing partners.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in International Relations
During a November 14, 2024 transition meeting at the White House, Donald Trump told Joe Biden they would have been good friends and golfing partners if not for politics, according to Biden. Biden published the exchange in an excerpt from his memoir, Promise Me, America.
Why it matters
The account offers a rare, first-hand look at the tone of a presidential transition that followed a bitter campaign and a long record of personal attacks between the two men. It also highlights the contrast between Trump's warm words in person and his public criticism of Biden before and after the meeting.
The meeting was originally scheduled for 30 minutes but lasted nearly two hours, and took place eight days after the 2024 election. Biden's account comes from his memoir excerpt, and Trump's perspective on the exchange was not part of the extracted material.
The players
Donald Trump
The 47th president of the United States, who returned to office in January 2025 after defeating Joe Biden's preferred successor in 2024 and previously served as the 45th president.
Joe Biden
The 46th president of the United States, who published the memoir Promise Me, America and recounted the transition meeting with Trump.
The details
Biden said Trump's tone in the Oval Office was friendly and fawning, praising the Biden administration's job-creation record and saying he was relieved not to face Biden in 2024. Biden said he was too stunned to respond and cut off the compliments to move to briefings on Ukraine, Russia, NATO, Gaza, China and other issues.
Timeline
2018: Trump began personally attacking Biden, calling him "Crazy Joe."
2020: Trump branded Biden "Sleepy Joe" after Biden announced his presidential campaign.
November 14, 2024: Trump and Biden met at the White House for the transition meeting.
January 2025: Trump left office, and his attacks on Biden continued afterward.
Political Context
Trump did not offer Biden the same transition courtesy after the 2020 election, making the cordial 2024 meeting a notable departure from that precedent. Biden's account frames the warm words as coming from a president who had spent years mocking him publicly.
The account shows how presidential transitions can shape the working relationship between administrations, with the handover of briefings on Ukraine, NATO and other issues being the practical focus. Readers following U.S. foreign policy may see continuity or disruption in those areas depending on how the new administration proceeds.
The takeaway
Even amid a bitter rivalry, a formal transition can produce a brief moment of cooperation, though the Trump-era attacks on Biden show how quickly personal tensions can return.
Further reading
For more on the broader diplomatic and political backdrop, see International Relations coverage.
