President Joe Biden intends to keep his letter from Donald Trump private, the White House said Friday, and revealed that the two men have not yet spoken.
‘No calls to report,’ White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at her briefing. ‘I have no update on the letter.’
‘He plans to keep it private,’ she said of the note.
Trump honored the mainstream tradition of leaving a letter in the Oval Office for his successor. It was unclear whether he was going to do so with his challenges to the election results and his false claims that he had been abducted.
But a letter was waiting for Biden at the definite desk when he entered the Oval Office on Jan. 20.
‘The president wrote a very generous letter,’ Biden said at the time. ‘Because it was private, I won’t talk about it until I talk to him. But he was generous. ‘
The letter is going to be public eventually – every note of outgoing presidents means their fans will be invested under the Heads of Records Act sit down and go to the Administration of the National Archives and Records.
President Joe Biden intends to keep his letter from Donald Trump private
Donald Trump followed a primary school tradition and left a letter for his successor to the Oval Office
White House news secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that President Biden has not yet spoken to former President Donald Trump
The two did not speak, however. The last time they spoke at their last primary school debate is believed to be on October 22nd.
Trump, however, called on his predecessor, Barack Obama, to thank him for the letter left when he took office.
He told ABC News he appreciated the letter from Obama, saying: ‘It was long. It was complex. It was thoughtful. And it took time to do. And I appreciated it. And I called him and thanked him. ‘
But President Trump shunned the traditional seizures that come with a peaceful shift of power.
Trump did not host Biden at the White House for coffee after the election and did not greet him at the front door of the residence ahead of the inauguration event.
Moreover, Trump did not mention his follower by name in any of his farewell addresses. He never formally accepted the election and only acknowledged that a ‘new administration’ is entering the White House.
He was not present at Biden’s swearing in at the Capitol and was at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida before Biden took the oath of office.
The tradition of the main note goes back to President Ronald Reagan, who left one for his successor George HW Bush.
Reagan left a short pithy note on stationery that read ‘Don’t let the turkeys let you down’ – with a picture of an elephant surrounded by turkeys.
‘George, I am financing the memories we share and I wish you every success. You will be there for my prayers, ‘he wrote.
George HW Bush’s note to his opponent, Bill Clinton, is upheld as an example of bipartisan gratitude and unity.
‘There will be very difficult times, made even more difficult by criticism that you may not think is fair. I am not a very good person to give advice; but just don’t let the critics motivate you or push you off course, ’he wrote.
‘You will be our President when you read this note. I wish you every success. I wish your family every success. Your success is now the success of our country. I take root for you, ‘he said.
Ronald Reagan’s note to George HW Bush’s main legacy began with the outgoing president, leaving a note for his successor
George HW Bush’s note to Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton’s note to George W. Bush
George W. Bush’s note to Barack Obama
Clinton just left a generous note for his successor, Bush’s son George W. Bush: ‘You lead proud, kind, good people. And from this day forward you are the President of us all. I welcome you and wish you success and much happiness. ‘
W. Bush, as a reward, wrote to Barack Obama: ‘Times try. The critics will run. Your ‘friends’ deceive you. But you will have Almighty God to comfort you, a family that loves you, and a country that draws for you, myself included. Whatever comes, you get inspiration from the character and empathy of the people you lead now.
And Obama wrote to Donald Trump: ‘Congratulations on an amazing run. Millions have placed their hopes in you, and we should all, regardless of party, hope for extended wealth and security during your tenure. ‘
He said of the importance of civic institutions: ‘No matter how much pressure and attraction there is in everyday politics, it is up to us to leave these instruments of democracy at least as strong as we find them. ‘