White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeated Biden’s position when asked whether Biden apologized to Trump for his political rhetoric during the campaign. Last month, for example, aides publicly agreed with former Trump White House chief of staff John Kelly arguing that Trump fits the definition of a fascist.

“The president is going to always feel obligated to be honest with the American community,” Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday. “What he says still stands.”

But Jean-Pierre also underscored the importance of “listening to the will of the American people” after Trump won last week’s election against Vice President Kamala Harris, 312 electoral votes to 226, and Republicans won the House and the Senate.

“It is important to respect our institutions,” Jean-Pierre said. “It is important to respect free and fair elections, and that’s what this president is doing, leading by example, and putting that aside and putting the American people first.”

She added, “But what he said still stands, and it’s not just him. We should not just put this at the president. [Trump’s] own people said this. So want to be really, really clear about that and not forget the facts. There are facts here that we should certainly also lift up as you ask any of these questions.”

The pair met for two hours on Wednesday, a sit-down Biden initiated after Trump did not invite him to the White House in 2020 as he denied that election’s results.

Jean-Pierre described the meeting as “gracious” and “substantive” as the two discussed national security and domestic policy issues, including the hostage situation in Gaza. Biden also told Jean-Pierre that Trump “came with a detailed set of questions.”

When pressed on whether Biden raised democracy concerns with Trump, she emphasized Biden’s desire to “move forward.”

“President Biden also raised important items on Congress‘s to-do list,” the press secretary said, “including funding the government and providing the disaster supplemental funding the president requested.

“Finally, the president, he reiterated what he said to the president-elect the day after the election and to the American people in the Rose Garden just last week, we will have an orderly transition and a peaceful transition of power,” she continued.