WASHINGTON − Former President Joe Biden left a letter for the man replacing him in the Oval Office, continuing a tradition dating back 36 years.
President Donald Trump discovered the letter, which was left in a white envelope with “47” written on it and underlined twice, in the Resolute Desk after a reporter asked about it Monday evening while signing executive orders. The 47th president didn’t share what Biden wrote.
“Maybe we should all read it together,” Trump quipped. “Maybe I’ll read it first and then make that determination.”
Former President Ronald Reagan started the tradition of presidents leaving private letters for their successors in 1989 with a message to then-incoming President George H.W. Bush.
“George, I treasure the memories we share and wish you all the very best. You’ll be in my prayers,” Reagan wrote.
Every outgoing president since has written a note to the incoming one.
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Former President Barack Obama wrote to Trump at the start of his first administration, telling him “we are just temporary occupants of this office. That makes us guardians of those democratic institutions and traditions − like rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties − that our forebears fought and bled for.”
Trump’s letter to Biden after the former president defeated him in 2020 hasn’t been publicly released.
