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Biden Reveals Trump's Unexpectedly Friendly Inauguration Letter
Confirmed
In Short: Former President Joe Biden revealed in his upcoming memoir, 'Promise Me, America,' that President Donald Trump left him a surprisingly friendly letter before Biden's inauguration in January 2021.
Joe Biden (Wikidata P18).
Trump’s private 2021 letter to Biden revealed in upcoming memoir. CNN
The letter, written on official White House stationery and dated January 20, 2021, was described by Biden as 'very generous,' with Trump offering warm wishes and encouragement.
Biden noted the stark contrast between the tone of the letter and Trump's public behavior, stating it seemed 'as if there were two Donald Trumps.'
In the letter, Trump wrote, 'You now have the opportunity to choose your place in history, and I know you will be true to yourself and the American people,' according to Biden's account.
Biden had previously referred to receiving a 'very generous letter' from Trump but had not disclosed its contents until now.
The letter's existence was known since Biden's first day as president, but its contents were kept secret for nearly six years.
Biden described the letter as 'offering his best wishes in warm language that sounded like it was coming from an old friend,' despite Trump's public efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
White House communications director Steven Cheung responded to Biden’s comments, questioning how one could go from viewing Trump as 'an existential threat to democracy' to welcoming him back.
Biden's memoir also covers his presidency, the challenges he faced, and the decision to publish the letter.
The letter's contents were first revealed by The New York Times after obtaining a copy, and confirmed by the Associated Press, which reviewed a photograph of the original letter.
What this adds
The letter's warm tone contrasts with Trump's repeated false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and his efforts to challenge Biden's victory.
The existence of the letter was public since Biden's first day as president, but its contents were kept secret until now.
What's confirmed
- Former President Joe Biden revealed in his upcoming memoir, “Promise Me, America,” that President Donald Trump left him an unexpectedly friendly letter in January 2021 before Biden entered office after defeating Trump in the 2020 election, according to a report published Tuesday.
- Biden repeatedly argued while he was still running that Trump was “a threat to democracy.” Radio host Charlamagne Tha God questioned Biden’s reception of Trump on his radio show at the time.
- “May God bless you and Jill, and may God bless America!” The Atlantic also highlighted a passage from the book recounting Biden’s customary 2024 White House meeting with Trump.
- In it, Biden wrote that it seemed "as if there were two Donald Trumps."
- "Joe Biden should have heeded the President’s wise words, but instead he tried to destroy this country and weaponize the justice system against his political enemies. Biden is a disgrace, and America is better off with him no longer as president," Cheung said.
- His description of 'two Donald Trumps' captures his reaction to the difference between the private message and his predecessor's public behaviour. 'But here he was, offering his best wishes in warm language that sounded like it was coming from an old friend,' Biden writes.
- Even the transfer-of-power ceremony itself did not proceed as usual: Trump did not attend Biden's inauguration, breaking with the established tradition of sitting and former American presidents.
What's still developing
- President Trump left a magnanimous letter to Biden, impressing upon him the weight of the job and the responsibility every president bears to the American people.
- "Yes, if it weren’t for politics, we’d spend all our time golfing together."
- The letter — which Trump wrote by hand using his signature black Sharpie — is printed in Biden’s forthcoming presidential memoir.
- Asked about the correspondence while signing executive actions on 20 January 2021, Biden told reporters, 'The president wrote a very generous letter.' He added, 'I have it because it was private.
- In an interview with NBC in September 2023, on "Meet the Press," he said the decision whether to publish it rested with Biden.
- Trump also described the responsibilities of the presidency as a burden carried on behalf of the nation, writing that Joe Biden had the hopes and dreams of Americans on his shoulders.
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