Obama, Romney to Meet for Lunch at White House
It was revealed Wednesday morning that President Barack Obama and former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney will be having a private lunch on Thursday, Nov. 29 at the White House, with press barred from the meeting.
"On Thursday, Governor Romney will have a private lunch at the White House with President Obama in the Private Dining Room," White House press secretary Jay Carney shared in a statement this morning.
"It will be the first opportunity they have had to visit since the election. There will be no press coverage of the meeting," Carney added.
The White House has noted that when Obama won the presidential election on Nov. 6, he promised in his acceptance speech to meet with Romney to discuss their differing political ideas and strategies.
Arguably one of the main differences of platforms between the two candidates prior to the election was their strategy for taxation. Obama argued that it was more effective to give the rich higher taxes, while Romney argued that it was more effective to lower taxes.
The news, which is trending on Twitter with the accompanying hashtag "#awkward," has critics foreseeing the two political heavyweights' uncomfortable exchange after a heated political campaign season.
"Mitt Romney is having lunch at the White House tomorrow with President Obama #awkward," tweeted popular news website BuzzFeed.
"Breaking: Governor Mitt Romney to have lunch with Pres. Obama Thursday at the WH. Awkward?" tweeted MSNBC host Alex Wagner.
Thursday's lunch, which will be held in the White House's private dining room and involve no press coverage, comes at an important time for President Obama, as he is currently determining how to handle the fiscal cliff slated to occur in 2013.
The dreaded fiscal cliff includes upcoming spending cuts and tax increases which may occur in 2013 if existing economic laws remain unchanged. Falling off the fiscal cliff could possibly push the U.S. into another economic recession.
