Donald Trump left an unusually warm letter for Joe Biden when he departed the White House on January 20, 2021. Biden was surprised by the tone of the message, especially against the backdrop of the public hostility between the two politicians.
The contents of the letter were quoted by The New York Times in an article about Biden’s memoir, “Promise Me, America.” The book will be released on November 17, 2026.
“I know how much you love the American people”
The letter was handwritten on White House letterhead in black marker and addressed to “46” — Biden’s designation as the 46th president of the United States. The message was two pages long.
“This will not happen to you, because I know how much you love the American people,” Trump wrote after noting that many presidents simply govern as Republicans or Democrats without changing the course of history.
The letter contained no criticism of Biden. Trump also did not challenge the results of the 2020 election, although he continued to publicly claim that the vote had been stolen.
“It was as if there were two Donald Trumps”
In his memoir, Biden writes that the message made him feel as if there were “two Donald Trumps.” According to him, one Trump refused the traditional gestures toward his successor, while the other wished him success “warmly, as an old friend would.”
Trump did not attend Biden’s inauguration and did not hold the customary meeting with the president-elect and his wife. Biden also notes that he was not offered a traditional meeting between the outgoing and incoming heads of state.
After the ceremony, Biden showed the letter to several of his aides but did not allow them to read it. At the time, he described it as “very generous” without revealing its contents.
In 2023, Trump said that Biden should decide for himself whether to publish the message and called it a “nice note.” The letter is now included in the memoir “Promise Me, America,” in which Biden recounts his four years in the White House and his political relationship with Trump.
Sources: apnews.com, washingtonpost.com