President Donald Trump has said the letter left for him in the Resolute Desk inside the Oval Office from former President Joe Biden was an “inspirational” message and “very nice.”
According to Fox News, reporters asked Trump about the letter from Biden while he signed executive orders Monday. He then found inside the Resolute Desk with the help of Fox News Senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy.
“He may have. Don’t they leave it in the desk? I don’t know,” Trump said, “Thank you, Peter. It could have been years before we found this thing.”
The tradition of leaving a letter to the president’s successor began in 1989, when former President Ronald Reagan left a letter to former President George H. W. Bush.
During a press conference Tuesday, Trump told NBC News’ Peter Alexander that he thought the letter was a nice gesture from the former president, and that he appreciated it.
“I did open it last night … Basically, it was a little bit of an inspirational type letter, you know, enjoy it, do a good job,” Trump said, “Important, very important, how important the job is … I think it was a nice letter. I think I should let people see it because was a positive for him in writing it. I appreciated the letter.”
Watch the video below:
UPDATE 01/22/25, 1:30 p.m. EST: Trump revealed to Fox News exclusively on Wednesday that the letter read: “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.” It continued, “May God bless you and guide you as He has blessed and guided our beloved country since our founding.”
