Donald Trump Interview Sparks Renewed Interest In Letter To Joe Biden – Donald Trump may have been the first outgoing president in more than 150 years to skip his successor’s inauguration, but he did at least upkeep one Inauguration Day tradition.
Presidents departing the White House for the final time leave a letter for their successor to wish them well. Even when an incumbent is defeated by their opponent, they leave a complimentary note providing advice, well wishes and occasional humor in the case of Ronald Reagan.
President Joe Biden has not yet released the letter he received from former president Trump, leaving many wondering what the note said given the latter’s repeated objection to the 2020 presidential election.
Given that Trump had called Biden “sleepy,” “crooked,” and “impaired” (with the Democrat describing his Republican rival as America’s first racist president), it begs the question…
What Did Donald Trump Say To Joe Biden In His Letter?
The full letter has never been released publicly by either Biden or Trump. The current president said it was a “very generous letter,” but added that “because it was private, I won’t talk about it until I talk to him.”
President Biden did not even read the letter out loud when he first entered the Oval Office in his new capacity on January 20, 2021. However, then-White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told actor Rob Lowe during a 2022 podcast that aspects he saw suggested the letter was “very lovely.”
“He [Biden] kind of looked around for the letter and read the letter while I was sitting there, which was just kind of a remarkable moment,” said Psaki. “And he is such a classy guy, whether people agree with his politics or not, that he didn’t even convey it to us in that moment of what the letter said, he kind of read the letter consumed in himself.”
Renewed interest in the letter came from Trump’s interview with NBC News on Sunday, where he said it was a “nice note” to his successor.
“You know, it’s interesting. He actually said it’s up to me to do, and I actually think it’s up to him to do,” he said when interviewer Kristen Welker asked about the contents of the letter. “I left him a note. I think it was very… it was a nice note. I took a lot of time in thinking about it. I’d love him to do a great job, even if it was very bad politically.”
Trump never attended the inauguration, nor did he directly refer to the President during a farewell address at Joint Base Andrews in 2021. Nevertheless, he wished “the new administration great luck and great success,” stating it had the foundation “to do something really spectacular.”
Given that the next time the two will meet is likely to be in the presidential debates in the lead-up to the election, it’s unlikely we will know its full contents anytime soon.
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist based in Canada. He has written for the Western Standard, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo, and has covered notable events including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
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