WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Barack Obama will welcome Republican rival Mitt Romney to the White House on Thursday for their first face-to-face meeting since Obama's landslide election win.
'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 said. There will be no press coverage of the meeting.
Insiders say the men are not personally fond of each other, but Romney was gracious in defeat on Election Night.
'I so wish that I had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction, but the nation chose another leader,' Romney said in his concession speech. 'And so (wife) Ann and I join with you to earnestly pray for him and for this great nation.'
The meeting between Obama and Romney comes a day after the president sits down with business leaders, many of whom were in Romney's corner during the campaign.
On Wednesday, State Farm CEO Ed Rust, Caterpillar CEO Douglas Oberhelman, and AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson will hear Obama pitch his ideas to solve the 'fiscal cliff' issue.
Frank Blake, Chairman and CEO, The Home Depot will provide some insights on the housing sector, while and Lloyd Blankfein, Chairman and CEO, Goldman Sachs Group may offer the Wall Street perspective.
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