President Joe Biden will leave a letter for President-elect Donald Trump before leaving the Oval Office for the final time on Monday as part of tradition among outgoing presidents, according to a report.
Biden plans to pen a note to his successor just as Trump left one to him four years earlier, CNN reported.
Trump left Biden a letter when his first term ended in 2020, despite skipping the inauguration. Biden never revealed the contents of the letter, but just said it was “very generous.”
The modern-day tradition has been around since Ronald Reagan left a note for George H.W. Bush at the Resolute Desk before leaving office in 1989. Reagan’s note was written on stationary that included a cartoon of a turkey and ‘Don’t let the turkeys get you down’ pasted on top.
Reagan’s note was lighthearted and pithy, but the letters only got longer from there. The turkey stationary was also discontinued as every president following used White House branded paper.
Ahead of Inauguration Day, Trump celebrated at a rally in Washington D.C., where he spent the evening outlining his plans for the future and promised to dismantle most of what the Biden administration has put into place.
“Tomorrow at noon, the curtain closes on four long years of American decline, and we begin a brand-new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride,” Trump said at the rally. “We’re not going to take it anymore.”
