Former President Joe Biden reportedly left a note for incoming President Donald Trump on Inauguration Day, January 20. And no, it wasn’t a post-it reading “Good luck, you’re gonna need it.” The contents of this note are as official as it gets, and yes, we now know what it says. Spoiler alert: it’s more polite than you’d think for a guy handing over the metaphorical keys to the madhouse.
This legendary letter, neatly tucked inside the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office (because where else would you leave it—on the kitchen counter next to the leftover pizza?), was addressed simply as:
“Dear President Trump.”
Classic start. No “Yo,” no emojis. Just straight-laced formalities. Here’s what Biden allegedly wrote, as reported by NBC:
“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. May God bless you and guide you as He has blessed and guided our beloved country since our founding.”
Translation: “Good luck, buddy. Try not to break too much stuff.”
Now, before you go asking if this letter was ghostwritten by a Hallmark card editor, let’s jump to Donald Trump’s review of this historic note. He described it as, and I quote:
“It was a very nice letter. It was a little bit of an inspirational-type letter. Enjoy it, do a good job. Important, very important. How important the job is…. I appreciated the letter.”
Trump gave it the thumbs-up, called it inspirational, and probably pondered framing it somewhere between the portraits of himself.
What makes this exchange remarkable is the underlying tradition—presidents leaving notes for their successors, regardless of party, drama, or Twitter wars. It’s like a dignified passing of the baton. Or, in this case, passing of a baton dipped in glitter, wrapped in “good luck” wishes, and handed over with the subtle message of “Don’t trip!”
History. It’s made one polite letter at a time.
