former president Joe Biden the president wanted Donald Trump “Good for the next four years” in the letter Resolute left on the Oval Office desk, Fox News reported Wednesday.
Trump said Tuesday night that he had opened the letter and it was “very nice.”
“Basically it was a bit of an inspirational kind of letter, you know? ‘Joy, do a good job. Important, very important, what an important job.’ , in writing, I appreciated the letter,” Trump said Tuesday afternoon.
President Donald Trump holds a letter from President Joe Biden as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on January 20, 2025 in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP
Read aloud on Fox News Wednesday morning, the letter was addressed “Dear President Trump” and contained two paragraphs.
“As I retire from this sacred office, I wish you and your family all the best for the next four years. The American people – and people around the world – look to this house for stability in the inevitable storms of history, and it is my prayer that the coming years will be a time of prosperity, peace and grace for our nation,” Biden wrote. Trump.
He closed with a prayer: “May God bless and guide you as he has blessed and guided our beloved people since our inception.”
Trump appeared to discover the letter was left to him by Biden speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday afternoon.
When someone asked if he had found the letter, Trump opened his desk drawer and found it, apparently for the first time. It was in a small white envelope with “47” written and underlined on the front.
“It could take years to find this thing. Wow, thank you,” Trump said.
Biden followed the tradition of leaving a letter to his successor — one Trump followed in 2020 when he stepped down after his first term, handing the office to Biden.
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 21, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Trump also considered returning to the Oval Office, when asked by ABC News how he felt about being back in the White House.
“What a great feeling, one of the best feelings I’ve ever had,” Trump said.
