Outgoing first lady Jill Biden has revealed what led to that viral moment last month when she was caught on camera talking to and smiling with President-elect Donald Trump during the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Trump later seized on what appeared at the time to be a good-natured exchange to promote his “Fight, Fight, Fight” line of colognes. He shared a photo of himself and Biden on social media alongside the caption: “A Fragrance Your Enemies Can’t Resist.”
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Critics slammed Trump’s move as “so fucking tacky” and “gross.”
Pascal Le Segretain via Getty Images
Biden addressed the moment in an interview with The Washington Post published Wednesday.
The first lady recalled Trump telling her: “I had a good meeting with your husband in the Oval Office.”
President Joe Biden hosted Trump at the White House following Trump’s election victory over his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris. Their private meeting lasted for more than two hours.
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Jill Biden said she replied to Trump, “Yes, because you’re both talkers.”
Trump has for years attacked the Bidens, with many of the insults being highly personal. Joe Biden, meanwhile, has frequently warned of the threat Trump poses to democracy in the U.S.
The Bidens have drawn some criticism for engaging with Trump following his 2024 win. But when the Post asked Jill Biden why she’d spoken to Trump in Paris and why her husband had welcomed him into the White House, she replied: “Joe and I respect our institutions, our traditions and it’s very important to me that they continue and we…”
“What would be the point of nastiness?” she added.
Read the full profile in The Washington Post.