In his forthcoming book, former President Joe Biden discloses the contents of a 2021 letter written by President Donald Trump as he prepared to leave the White House after his first term, according to an excerpt of the book and a copy of the letter obtained by The New York Times .
“Many presidents have come and gone who simply governed as Republicans or Democrats,” Trump wrote in the letter to Biden, according to Times. “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.”
Biden has previously alluded to a “very generous letter” left by his predecessor, and now successor, but until now had declined to talk about the contents.
The reported letter, which was dated January 20, 2021, strikes a different tone than Trump’s public statements after losing the election to Biden in 2020. Trump repeatedly claimed the election was stolen and refused to conduct an orderly transfer of power to his successor, challenging the results in court and pressing his allies to move to block the certification of his loss.
The matter came to a head when Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as Congress was voting on whether to certify the results. While Congress ultimately certified Biden’s victory, Trump has continued to deny the 2020 results and pardoned over 1,000 people involved in the riot when he returned to the White House last year.
“Not only are you joined by the past, but you carry the hopes and dreams of the entire nation on your shoulders. The gravity of that fact never leaves you, it is the anchor that grounds every decision you make,” Trump wrote in the letter.
“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,” he continued.
Biden was inaugurated the same day as the letter and Trump did not attend the festivities as is customary for most living presidents. Trump has sharply criticized Biden in the years since the 46th president left office.
In his book, titled “Promise Me, America,” Biden writes it was “as if there were two Donald Trumps” and says Trump “deeply destabilized democracy,” according to the Times.
“But here he was, offering his best wishes in warm language that sounded like it was coming from an old friend,” Biden wrote in the book, which is set to be released next Tuesday.
In a statement to the Times, White House communications director Steven Cheung said, “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.”
“Biden is a disgrace, and America is better off with him no longer as president,” Cheung added.
