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As far as presidential traditions go, Donald Trump is an outlier. Even during his swearing-in as the newly elected commander-in-chief, Trump avoided the long-running tradition of holding his hand on the Bible while taking the oath of office, but there was one years-long custom that he did fulfill. Just days into his second term, we’ve learned that Trump discovered a letter left for him by his predecessor in the Oval Office, which itself was a reply to one written by Trump before his ousting back in 2020.
For context, the tradition of presidents writing letters to their successors dates back to Ronald Reagan, who left a private message in the Oval Office to be read by then-incoming President George H.W. Bush back in 1989. Since then, every outgoing president has left a note for the incoming one, a tradition which was upheld by Trump in a surprising way, according to some sources.
Donald Trump left Joe Biden a “very gracious letter.”
In 2022, we learned that upon entering his presidency, Joe Biden discovered a letter left for him in the Oval Office by his presidential predecessor, Donald Trump. Details of the letter were shared in the Chris Whipple-written book, The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden’s White House. It claimed that Biden described the contents of the letter written by Trump as “very gracious and generous,” but that the then-president refused to share it with others.
A separate book — titled Peril and written by journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa — also elaborated on the letter left by Trump. It claimed that upon discovering the letter, which was left in the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, Biden “put it in his pocket and did not share it with his advisers.” According to the authors, Biden was taken aback by the contents of Trump’s letter, since he described it as “shockingly gracious.”
Shocking, of course, because at the time, Trump had denied the results of the 2020 election and had incited an insurrection on the Capitol to maintain power. Nonetheless, Biden extended the same courtesy to Trump upon his party’s defeat in the presidential election last year.
Biden also left a private note for Trump.
Taking the reins from Trump, we learned this week that Biden also left a note for his successor upon leaving the White House. According to USA Today, Trump found the letter in the Resolute Desk when a reporter asked him about it as he signed executive orders. Trump discovered the note in a white envelope, with the number “47” — in reference to Trump being the 47th president — written onto it and underlined twice.
While he joked with reporters that “we should all read it together,” Trump did not reveal the contents of Biden’s note. “Maybe I’ll read it first and then make that determination,” Trump said. While he didn’t speak to the specifics at that time, the contents of Biden’s letter to Trump were later published in The Hill. “I wish you and your family all the best in the next four years,” Biden reportedly wrote.
“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.” In a separate press conference, Trump described it as “a very nice” and “an inspirational type of letter.”