Former President Joe Biden has revealed the contents of the letter Donald Trump left him in the Oval Office in January 2021 after years of speculation.
Both Biden and Trump have repeatedly discussed the letter but say neither chose to disclose its contents, saying it was up to the other given the personal nature of the notes.
Donald Trump Back in 2020. Creative Commons Photo.
President Donald Trump delivers remarks at a business session with the nation’s governors, Friday, February 21, 2025, in the State Dining Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Harrison Koeppel)
However, in his forthcoming memoir, “Promise Me, America,” Biden has reproduced the letter in full.
A Blessing to Work in the Oval Office
Written on White House stationery in black Sharpie, the letter was placed in an envelope addressed to “46”—a reference to Biden as the 46th president of the United States.
Trump opened by describing working in the Oval Office as a “blessing beyond imagination.”
“History resounds from every wall, every statue, every beautiful painting, and every corner of this magical place,” Trump wrote. “Each staircase, hallway, and door leads to yet another door and memory, another inflection point in the glorious story of America.”
The Republican then urged his former electoral rival to “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.”
“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 added.
Political Differences Swept Aside
Despite the toxic 2020 presidential campaign, following which Trump claimed that the election had been stolen from him, the 45th and 47th president did not refer to their differences in his note to Biden.
Before the election, Trump had called his successor “the worst candidate” in American history, questioned his cognitive ability, and accused him of corruption.
The fallout from the election saw Trump continually deny the results, leading to the January 6 attack on the Capitol. On the day of Biden’s inauguration, Trump refused to attend.
Nevertheless, the note left in the Oval Office struck a warm tone that brushed aside political differences.
“Many presidents have come and gone who simply governed as Republicans or Democrats,” Trump wrote. “Largely, they did not change history; they were just swept along in its relentless tide. This will not happen to you because I know how much you love the American people.”
A Warm Conclusion
The final paragraphs of Trump’s letter stopped short of supporting Biden, but the Republican nevertheless ended with a positive message.
“Not only are you joined by the past, but you carry the hopes and dreams of the entire nation on your shoulders,” Trump wrote. “The gravity of that fact never leaves you; it is the anchor that grounds every decision you make.”
He added: “Your strength, your deepest reservoir of energy, comes from the knowledge that millions upon millions of people are depending on you. Their ambitions and aspirations are the reason you are here, with so many counting on your success.”
Trump signed off with his first name, and said: “May God bless you and Jill, and may God bless America!”
Biden and Trump Could Have Been “Good Friends”
Biden’s book, an excerpt of which was published in The Atlantic on Monday, November 9, details his four-year term, which ended when Trump defeated the Democrats’ vice president, Kamala Harris.
Biden wrote that it was “as if there were two Donald Trumps,” noting how the Republican “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 added.
The two met following Trump’s election win in 2024, with Trump “adopting a tone so friendly that I thought he might be putting me on,” according to Biden.
The current president even said that “if it weren’t for politics, I believe we’d be good friends” to the man he had criticized for much of his presidential campaign.
Biden’s health has deteriorated since leaving the White House, and he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has reportedly spread to his bones.
“Some days are better than others,” Biden wrote of his cancer diagnosis on social media over the weekend. “It hasn’t stopped me. But sometimes it slows me down. What that means is, unfortunately, I won’t be able to do as many conversations about my book as I’d hoped. However, I’m hopeful the words on the page speak for themselves.”
About the Author: Shay Bottomley
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist. He has written for the Western Standard, Business Insider, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo.
