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“The president wrote a very generous letter,” Biden told reporters. “Because it was private, I won’t talk about it until I tell her about it, but it was generous.”
A senior Trump aide described the letter to CNN as a “personal note” begging for the success of the country and the new administration in taking care of the country. The aide said writing the letter to Biden was one of many items on Trump’s list in the Oval Office on Tuesday night.
Trump did not show the note he left for Biden to several of his associates, according to one person.
In a briefing Wednesday night, White House press secretary Jen Psaki declined to provide further details on the letter Trump left Biden, telling reporters that, based on Biden’s comments , “This is a private letter, as he told all of you. It was both generous and courteous, and it was just a reflection of his intention not to publish the letter unilaterally.
While it may seem surprising that Trump has continued this tradition by ignoring all other elements of a peaceful transfer, this is in keeping with his past enthusiasm for the letter he received from President Barack Obama.
Trump was so impressed with Obama’s letter that he tried to phone him as soon as he read it on inauguration day in 2017. But Obama was still flying to Palm Springs on the presidential plane and didn’t could not take the call.
When one of Obama’s aides contacted the White House to return the call, the new president’s staff said Trump just wanted to say thank you for the note – and wanted Obama to get the message. The men have never connected directly.
“It was long. It was complex. It was thoughtful,” Trump said of the letter the week after taking office in an interview with ABC News. “And it took a while to do it, and I enjoyed it.”
He later showed the letter to visitors in the Oval Office.
In his farewell address Wednesday, Trump did not name Biden, but said he wished “the new administration the best of luck and great success.”
It comes after Trump spent months lying about the presidential election rigged against him and spreading unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about voter fraud. He instigated a violent mob to storm the US Capitol, which left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer. He was recently impeached by the House of Representatives for his role in inciting this deadly attack on Capitol Hill, and there will be a trial in the US Senate.
Former Vice President Mike Pence also left a letter for Vice President Kamala Harris. Pence attended Biden’s inauguration and, as he left the U.S. Capitol after the ceremony, Pence and former Second Lady Karen Pence laughed with Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff.
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