WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama shakes hands with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House yesterday. — AP

WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump joined President Barack Obama for their first meeting at the White House yesterday, a symbolic start to the transition of power to the nation's 45th president. They discussed a range of domestic and foreign policy topics at the White House during their first meeting since Trump's stunning election victory

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Obama said he will do everything he can to help the Republican succeed when he takes office on Jan 20 and urged that the country unite to face its challenges. Trump, elected on Tuesday, said he looked forward to more meetings with Obama and said several matters were discussed, including difficulties. Obama was harshly critical of Trump throughout the campaign, blasting him as unfit to serve as a commander in chief.

Trump spent years challenging the legitimacy of Obama's presidency, falsely suggesting Obama may have been born outside the United States. If Trump makes good on his campaign promises, he'll wipe away much of what Obama has done during his eight years in office. The Republican president-elect, who will govern with Congress fully under GOP control, has vowed to repeal Obama's signature health care law and dismantle the landmark nuclear accord with Iran.

First lady Michelle Obama was meeting privately in the White House residence with Trump's wife, Melania, while Vice President Joe Biden prepared to see Vice President-elect Mike Pence later yesterday. Trump traveled to Washington from New York on his private jet, breaking with protocol by not bringing journalists in his motorcade or on his plane to document his historic visit to the White House.

Journalists blocked

Trump has refused to let journalists travel with him to cover his first meeting with President Barack Obama. The move broke from protocol intended to ensure that the public has a watchful eye on the nation's leader.  Trump flew from New York to Washington on his private jet without the so-called "pool" of reporters, photographers and television cameras that travel with presidents and presidents-elect. Trump's meeting with Obama was due to be reported by the pool of White House journalists who cover the president.

News organizations had tried for weeks to coordinate a pool of journalists who could travel with Trump immediately after Election Day if he won the election. But his campaign did not cooperate and his senior advisers refused Wednesday to discuss any such arrangements. Trump was harshly critical of the media during his campaign and for a time banned news organizations whose coverage he disliked from his events.

Also on Trump's schedule were meetings with House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky to discuss the GOP legislative agenda. Ryan, who holds the most powerful post in Congress, was a sometime critic of Trump, was slow to endorse him and did not campaign with the nominee. Pence intended to join both meetings. As scores of journalists waited to be admitted to the Oval Office to see Obama and Trump together, they saw White House chief of staff Denis McDonough walking along the South Lawn driveway with Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law. A handful of Trump aides trailed them. Republicans were emboldened by Trump's stunning victory over Hillary Clinton, giving the GOP control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. "He just earned a mandate," Ryan said.

In Washington, Trump's scant transition team sprang into action, culling through personnel lists for top jobs and working through handover plans for government agencies. A person familiar with the transition operations said the personnel process was still in its early stages, but Trump's team was putting a premium on quickly filling key national security posts. The person was not authorized to discuss details by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.-AP