President Donald Trump reportedly wrote a thoughtful letter to former President Joe Biden after losing the 2020 election.
“Coming to work every day in the Oval Office is a blessing beyond imagination,” Trump, 80, wrote to the incoming commander in chief at the time, according to an excerpt from Biden’s upcoming memoir, Promise Me, America, obtained by The New York Times on Tuesday, November 10. “History resounds from every wall, every statue, every beautiful painting and every corner of this magical place. Each staircase, hallway and door leads to yet another door and memory, another inflection point in the glorious story of America.”
The Times reviewed a photocopy of the original letter, which was dated January 20, 2021, and left in an envelope addressed “To ‘46.’”
The letter was written on White House stationery with Trump’s black Sharpie.
“I hope you take a moment every single day to take stock of where you are and the people who came before you, the titans who shaped the course of human events,” 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.”
Trump’s letter appeared professional as he complimented Biden, now 83, by writing, “I know how much you love the American people.”
“Your strength, your deepest reservoir of energy, comes from the knowledge that millions upon millions of people are depending on you,” Trump concluded. “Their ambitions and aspirations are the reason you are here, with so many counting on your success. May God bless you and [your wife] Jill, and may God bless America!”
During the 2020 presidential race, Trump continuously attacked Biden and called him “the worst candidate” in American history.
After Biden won, Trump challenged the results and falsely claimed the election was rigged.
In response to the excerpt, the White House released a statement on Tuesday criticizing Biden’s performance in Washington, D.C.
“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,” White House communications director Steven Cheung said in a statement to Us. “Biden is a disgrace, and America is better off with him no longer as president.”
In his book, Biden said the letter had him thinking “there were two Donald Trumps.”
He argued Trump “deeply destabilized our democracy” and had “not offered the traditional meeting between presidents.”
“But here he was, offering his best wishes in warm language that sounded like it was coming from an old friend,” Biden wrote.
Promise Me, America is available on Tuesday, November 17.
