FORMER President Biden reportedly warned President Donald Trump of “inevitable storms” in a personal letter written to his successor.
Trump, who found his predecessor’s letter in the drawer of the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office on Monday, had described Biden’s words as “nice and inspirational.”
President Donald Trump was left a letter by former President Joe Biden in the desk of the Resolute Desk in the Oval OfficeReuters
Trump found the note after a reporter mentioned it to him as he was signing executive orders in the Oval Office on Monday eveningRex Features
APIt’s been a long-standing tradition for presidents to leave a letter to their successors[/caption]
Joe Biden met with then-President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office in November 2024AP:Associated Press
Trump did not share the contents of the letter, but he told reporters on Tuesday that he appreciated it.
“It was a little bit of an inspirational-type letter. Enjoy it. Do a good job. Important, very important how important the job is,” he said at the time.
Now, the entire message has been revealed, and it shows Biden’s final attempt to bury the hatchet of political mudslinging.
In his letter addressed to “47,” Biden hoped the coming years would bring the country “prosperity, peace, and grace.”
“As I take leave of this sacred office I wish you and your family all the best in the next four years,” the note reads, according to Fox News White House Correspondent Peter Doocy.
“The American people – and people around the world – look to this house for steadiness in the inevitable storms of history, and my prayer is that in the coming years will be a time of prosperity, peace, and grace for our nation.
“May God bless you and guide you as He has blessed and guided our beloved country since our founding.”
Though Biden and Trump didn’t hold back in the election, they’ve been enjoying a peaceful power transfer since Inauguration Day.
On Monday morning, the Bidens met with the Trumps for a pre-inaugural tea in the White House to have a final conversation.
Biden and former First Lady Jill attended all of the swearing-in ceremonies before they boarded a plane for a vacation in California.
Trump critics might not know that the business mogul-turned-politician also reportedly left Biden a “generous” note after his 2020 loss.
In his book, The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden’s White House, author Chris Whipple claimed Trump’s letter was “very gracious and generous” but did not reveal its contents.
PRESIDENTIAL TRADITION
Leaving the incoming president an inspiring note is a long-standing tradition that exists to maintain relations between Democrats and Republicans.
The tradition began with President Ronald Reagan in 1989.
Biden’s letter for Trump on inauguration day
Joe Biden carried on the tradition of outgoing presidents leaving a letter for the incoming president. His letter to Trump read in full:
Dear President Trump,
As I take leave of this sacred office I wish you and your family all the best in the next four years. The American people – and people around the world – look to this house for steadiness in the inevitable storms of history, and my prayer is that in the coming years will be a time of prosperity, peace, and grace for our nation.
May God bless you and guide you as He has blessed and guided our beloved country since our founding.
Joe Biden
1-20-25
Reagan wrote a nostalgic note to his successor and vice president, George H.W. Bush, telling the soon-to-be 41st president he “treasured the memories we share and wish you all the very best.”
President Bill Clinton said that his predecessor continued the tradition and said the letter revealed “the heart of who he was.”
The note proved that Bush was “an honorable, gracious and decent man who believes in the United States, our constitution, our institutions, and our shared future,” Clinton wrote in an essay after Bush’s death in 2018.
Clinton then continued the unwritten tradition with a note to his predecessor’s son, George W. Bush.
The outgoing president cautioned the younger Bush that the office of the presidency came with a great burden but called the undertaking “the greatest venture and honor.”
Then, after two terms in the White House, the younger Bush did the same to incoming President Barack Obama, congratulating him on the commencement of a “fantastic chapter and honor of his life.”
When Trump ascended to the White House for the first time in 2017, he said Obama paid tribute to his political success.
Trump described his predecessor’s letter as beautiful.
“It was really very nice of him to do that and we will cherish that. We will keep that,” Trump told reporters at the time, without disclosing the content of the note.
Former President Joe Biden delivering his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office on January 15Rex Features
President Trump described the described Biden’s words as ‘nice and inspirational’ without revealing the contents of the noteAP:Associated Press
President Ronald Reagan began the tradition in 1989 when he wrote a personal note to his vice president and successor, George H.W. BushPresidential Library
George H.W. Bush continued the unwritten tradition with a personal note to his successor Bill ClintonPresidential Library Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
