Former President Joe Biden offered prayers for President Donald Trump in a letter to his successor left in a drawer of the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.
Trump discovered the letter Monday shortly after succeeding Biden as the 47th president of the United States, Fox News reported.
Trump found the letter in the desk as he signed executive orders after the network’s senior White House Correspondent Peter Doocy asked him if Biden had left him a note.
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“As I take leave of this sacred office I wish you and your family all the best in the next four years,” Biden wrote. “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 the coming years will be a time of prosperity, peace, and grace for our nation.”
“God bless you and guide you as He has blessed and guided our beloved country since our founding,” Biden continued.
When asked about the contents of the letter, Trump described it as “very nice” and a “little bit of an inspirational-type letter” encouraging him to “enjoy it” and “do a good job.”
He also summarized the message of the letter as stressing “how important the job is.”
“It was a positive, for him, in writing it,” Trump added. “I appreciated the letter.”
Outgoing presidents leaving their successors a letter has become a tradition in recent decades.
The practice began in 1989 when outgoing President Ronald Reagan left a note for his successor, then-Vice President George H.W. Bush. Four years later, Bush left a note for his successor, Bill Clinton, who defeated him in the 1992 presidential election.
Clinton left a note for his successor, George W. Bush, upon leaving office in 2001. Eight years later, Bush left a letter for his successor, Barack Obama. When his second term expired in 2017, Obama left a note for Trump.
Biden is the first president in more than 100 years to be preceded and succeeded by the same man. Biden received a note from Trump, whom he defeated in the 2020 presidential election, upon taking office in 2021. This year, Biden left a note for Trump, who became the first president since Grover Cleveland to be elected to a second non-consecutive term.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
