Trump Reveals ‘Very Nice’ Letter Left by Biden

On Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump disclosed the general contents of a letter left for him by former President Joe Biden in the Resolute Desk of the Oval Office.

“It was a really nice letter,” Trump remarked to reporters at a news conference, marking his first since returning to the presidency. “It had an inspirational tone. Enjoy it, do a good job. It’s important, very important. The significance of the job cannot be overstated.”

The president mentioned that he might consider making the letter public soon since its contents were “a positive—for him.” He added, “I appreciated the letter.”

The letter was found on Monday night in the Resolute Desk while Trump was signing various executive orders and chatting with reporters about several issues. When asked by a reporter if Biden had left the note for him, which was simply addressed to “47,” referring to Trump, he responded, “He may have. Don’t they typically leave it in the desk? I’m not sure,” before finding an envelope containing the note. “It might have taken us years to find this thing,” he told the reporter.

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The practice of outgoing presidents leaving letters for incoming leaders is relatively new, starting in 1989 when President Ronald Reagan left a note for his successor, President George H.W. Bush.

Since that time, outgoing presidents have continued to follow this tradition. All succeeding presidents—including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Biden, and Trump—have authored letters to their successors.

Biden and Trump find themselves in a unique situation as Trump is the second president in history to serve nonconsecutive terms, the first being Grover Cleveland in the late 19th century.

When Trump left office for the first time in January 2021, he also left a letter for Biden, which the former president confirmed at that time.

“The president wrote a very kind letter,” Biden mentioned to reporters over four years ago. “Since it was private, I won’t discuss it until I speak with him, but it was indeed generous.”

Years earlier, Obama had penned a letter for his successor that Trump described in early 2017 to ABC News as “lengthy,” “complex,” and “thoughtful,” adding that he “appreciated” the gesture.

During his news conference on Tuesday, Trump discussed various topics, including the executive orders and pardons he had recently signed. At one point, Trump asserted that his decision to pardon approximately 1,500 defendants from January 6, 2021, was the correct choice and criticized reporters for emphasizing those pardons over violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants and others.

“Murderers today are often not even charged,” he stated to reporters. “There are murderers who aren’t even held responsible all over the place. Just look at what’s happened in Philadelphia and L.A.”

He also elaborated on his reasoning for allowing TikTok to remain operational in the United States, stating his intentions to strike a deal with China.

“They’ll end up with something that’s actually more valuable because they have the ultimate partner, and the United States will make it quite beneficial for them in terms of permits and everything else,” Trump mentioned.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.