Joe Biden Shares The Surprising Message Donald Trump Left Behind In 2021

Donald Trump spent months attacking Joe Biden after losing the 2020 presidential election. He questioned the result, refused to concede defeat and ultimately skipped his successor’s inauguration. Yet, on the day he left the White House, Trump reportedly left Biden a private letter filled with encouragement, praise and an unexpectedly personal message.

The contents of that letter have now been revealed in Biden’s forthcoming memoir, Promise Me, America. The former president says reading Trump’s words left him wondering whether he had encountered two entirely different versions of the same man. The revelation also brings renewed attention to the complicated relationship between the two presidents, whose private interactions sometimes appeared considerably friendlier than their public political exchanges.

Biden Reveals The Unexpected Letter Trump Left Behind

According to an excerpt obtained by The New York Times, Biden has reproduced Trump’s January 20, 2021, letter in full in his upcoming memoir. The message was left inside an envelope addressed to “46,” referring to Biden becoming the 46th president of the United States. It was reportedly written on official White House stationery and dated the day Biden took office.

The letter contained no criticism of Biden or references to Trump’s allegations about the 2020 election. Instead, the outgoing president wrote about the extraordinary responsibility of occupying the Oval Office and encouraged his successor to appreciate the position he was about to inherit. Its tone was markedly different from the public hostility that had characterized the preceding months.

“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 wrote, according to the excerpt published by the Times. He also acknowledged the expectations placed on whoever occupies the presidency, describing the millions of Americans depending on their country’s leader.

“Your strength, your deepest reservoir of energy, comes from the knowledge that millions upon millions of people are depending on you,” Trump added. “Their ambitions and aspirations are the reason you are here, with so many counting on your success.” The letter ended with a personal blessing for Biden and his wife, Jill, alongside a message for the United States.

“May God bless you and Jill, and may God bless America!” Trump wrote. For Biden, receiving such a message from his political rival was an unexpected experience, particularly given the circumstances surrounding the transfer of power.

Biden Says Trump’s Private Personality Seemed Different

In his memoir, Biden describes the surprise of receiving such a warm message from someone whose public conduct he had repeatedly condemned. He contrasted the letter’s friendly language with Trump’s refusal to follow the traditional presidential transition process after the 2020 election. The former president wrote that the experience made him feel “as if there were two Donald Trumps.”

Biden had previously described Trump as someone who had “deeply destabilized our democracy.” He also pointed out that Trump had not offered him the customary meeting between outgoing and incoming presidents after the election. Against that background, the letter appeared to come from someone with a very different attitude toward him.

Biden wrote that Trump was offering his best wishes in language that sounded as though it had come from an old friend. The contrast was particularly striking because their political relationship had become increasingly hostile during the election campaign and the weeks that followed.

The message also contained no suggestion that Trump considered himself the rightful winner of the election. He did not repeat his claims about voter fraud or challenge Biden’s legitimacy as the incoming president. Instead, he focused almost entirely on the responsibilities awaiting the new administration.

That difference between Trump’s private words and public conduct became one of the central observations Biden shared about the encounter. However, the former president did not suggest that receiving the letter changed his assessment of Trump’s political actions.

What Trump’s Letter Actually Said About The Presidency

One of the most striking aspects of the letter was its focus on the historical responsibility attached to the presidency. Rather than discussing the election or the political rivalry between the two men, Trump reflected on the significance of working inside the White House and the history surrounding the Oval Office.

“Coming to work every day in the Oval Office is a blessing beyond imagination,” Trump wrote. He described the building as a place filled with reminders of American history, mentioning its statues, paintings, staircases, hallways and memories of the people who had occupied it before him.

Trump encouraged Biden to take time each day to appreciate the position he had inherited. He specifically referred to the presidents who had shaped the country’s history and the decisions that had influenced generations of Americans.

The message then turned toward Biden’s opportunity to establish his own presidential legacy. Trump suggested that political party affiliation alone did not determine whether a president would leave a lasting mark on the country.

“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.” He then expressed confidence that Biden would have the opportunity to shape his own place in American history.

The letter also emphasized several responsibilities Trump believed came with the office:

• Historical responsibility: Trump encouraged Biden to consider the legacy of previous presidents and the decisions that shaped the country.
• Public service: He described the presidency as an opportunity to influence American history rather than simply govern along party lines.
• National expectations: He reminded Biden that millions of Americans were depending on his leadership and counting on his success.
• Personal integrity: He encouraged his successor to remain true to himself and the American people.
• Family and country: He concluded by offering blessings to Biden, Jill and the United States.

Trump’s closing message was particularly notable because it addressed Biden personally and included his wife. The letter’s language was considerably more generous than the public comments Trump had directed toward his successor during the election campaign.

Trump’s Friendly Letter Came After A Bitter Election Transition

The circumstances surrounding the letter help explain why Biden found its contents so surprising. The 2020 presidential election had been followed by weeks of political conflict, with Trump repeatedly challenging the result and refusing to accept Biden’s victory.

Trump’s efforts to overturn the election culminated in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol as Congress met to certify the electoral result. The events became a defining part of the political dispute between the two administrations, with Biden later sharply criticizing Trump’s conduct that day.

Trump also broke with a longstanding presidential tradition by refusing to attend Biden’s inauguration. Instead, he departed Washington for Florida on January 20, 2021, leaving the letter behind on the same day his successor was sworn in.

The private message therefore stood apart from the public circumstances of the transition. It contained no accusations of electoral fraud, personal insults or challenges to Biden’s legitimacy. Its central message concerned the responsibility of governing a country and the importance of serving its people.

Biden’s memoir reportedly addresses the Capitol attack in considerably harsher terms. According to the Times, he wrote that what Trump did that day “should never be forgotten” and “should follow him to his grave.” He also criticized Trump’s subsequent decision to grant clemency to people convicted in connection with the attack.

These criticisms demonstrate that the friendly letter did little to change Biden’s assessment of Trump’s public conduct. The former president appears to distinguish between the personal courtesy he experienced privately and the political actions he believes should remain part of Trump’s record.

Biden Recalls Another Surprisingly Friendly Trump Encounter

The 2021 letter was not the only occasion when Biden encountered a more cordial version of Trump behind closed doors. His memoir also describes their November 13, 2024, Oval Office meeting, which took place after Trump defeated Kamala Harris in the presidential election.

Biden welcomed Trump to the White House for a transition meeting following the election. The encounter followed a presidential tradition that Trump had declined to observe four years earlier when Biden won the presidency. Their meeting lasted nearly two hours, according to the account reported by Newsweek.

In an excerpt published by The Atlantic, Biden described being surprised by Trump’s attitude during their conversation. He recalled that the president-elect was immediately talkative and adopted an unusually friendly tone.

“Trump was immediately chatty and surprised me by adopting a tone so friendly that I thought he might be putting me on,” Biden wrote. “It bordered on fawning.” The description suggests that Biden was once again struck by the difference between Trump’s private manner and his public political persona.

Trump reportedly made an unexpected comment about their personal relationship during the meeting. “You know, Joe, if it weren’t for politics, I believe we’d be good friends,” he told Biden, according to the memoir excerpt.

Trump then suggested that the two men might spend their time golfing together if politics were not involved. Biden recalled being too stunned to respond to the comment, which came after years of political disagreements and personal attacks.

The meeting reportedly included other unexpected moments. Trump praised Biden’s record on job creation as “extraordinary” and said he had been relieved not to face Biden again after the Democrat ended his reelection campaign. These details add another layer to Biden’s description of their relationship.

Biden’s Warm Welcome For Trump Also Drew Criticism

Although Biden’s account of the 2024 meeting focuses partly on Trump’s friendly behavior, the encounter had already attracted attention when it happened. Biden had repeatedly criticized Trump during his own presidency, including describing him as a threat to democracy while campaigning for reelection.

His decision to welcome Trump warmly at the White House therefore raised questions about the contrast between political rhetoric and the traditional responsibilities of a presidential transition. Radio host Charlamagne Tha God publicly questioned Biden’s approach during his radio show at the time.

“I just don’t understand the White House visit,” Charlamagne said. He acknowledged that a peaceful transfer of power was welcome, but questioned how Biden’s reception of Trump aligned with the serious warnings he had previously made about the Republican president.

Charlamagne also pointed out that Biden had used strong language when discussing Trump’s political conduct. He questioned how the former president could move from describing Trump as an existential threat to democracy to welcoming him back into the White House.

The discussion reflected a broader question surrounding presidential transitions: how should political opponents behave when one administration prepares to hand power to another? The 2024 meeting demonstrated Biden’s willingness to follow the traditional process, even after the contentious relationship between the two men.

The newly revealed memoir passages also suggest that Biden viewed Trump’s private friendliness as a recurring feature of their interactions. However, he did not present those encounters as evidence that their political differences had disappeared.

White House Responds To Biden’s Memoir Revelation

The White House response to the newly disclosed letter was considerably less friendly than the message Trump reportedly left in 2021. Communications director Steven Cheung issued a statement criticizing Biden after the memoir excerpts became public.

“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,” Cheung said in a statement to Fox News Digital. He also described Biden as a disgrace and said America was better off with him no longer serving as president.

The statement did not dispute the reported contents of Trump’s letter. Instead, it focused on attacking Biden’s presidency and his treatment of Trump during their political rivalry.

Theo Wold, a former White House deputy assistant for domestic policy during Trump’s first administration, also criticized Biden’s interpretation of the letter. Speaking to Fox News Digital, Wold argued that Trump had offered his successor a generous message about the responsibilities of the presidency.

Wold accused Biden and the people involved in preparing the memoir of using the letter to criticize Trump rather than acknowledge its friendly tone. His comments reflected the administration’s broader objections to Biden’s portrayal of Trump’s conduct in the book.

The competing statements illustrate how the two political camps continue to interpret the same events differently. While Biden presents the letter as an example of the contrast between Trump’s private and public behavior, Trump’s representatives have emphasized the generosity of the original message.

Biden’s Memoir Arrives Amid His Ongoing Cancer Treatment

The revelations come shortly before the scheduled November 17 release of Promise Me, America. The memoir covers Biden’s four years in office, his decision to pursue another presidential term and his eventual withdrawal from the 2024 campaign.

According to the publisher, Hachette Book Group, the book also addresses major events during his presidency, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war in Ukraine and the January 6 Capitol attack. It provides Biden with an opportunity to present his account of the decisions and political challenges that defined his administration.

However, the former president’s promotional schedule has been affected by his ongoing cancer treatment. Biden announced in May 2025 that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. He has since undergone radiation therapy and hormone treatment.

On Sunday, Biden addressed the limitations on his book promotion in a message discussing his health and the upcoming publication. “Some days are better than others,” he wrote. “It hasn’t stopped me. But sometimes it slows me down.”

He also said his doctors remained encouraged by his response to treatment, although he would be unable to participate in as many conversations about the book as he had initially hoped. His reduced public schedule means the memoir itself will carry much of his account of his presidency and his relationship with Trump.

The newly disclosed letter gives the book an unusual personal element. It offers readers a glimpse into a private exchange that took place during a deeply contentious political transition, while providing another example of how Biden remembers Trump’s behavior away from the public spotlight.

A Private Letter That Adds Another Chapter To Their Rivalry

Trump’s letter offers an unusual record of a moment when the public hostility between two presidents gave way to a message of personal goodwill. Biden’s account suggests that the contrast stayed with him long after he received the envelope, particularly because similar behavior appeared during their 2024 meeting.

The letter does not erase the political disputes that defined their relationship, and Biden makes clear that his criticism of Trump’s conduct remains unchanged. Instead, the document adds another dimension to an already complicated political history, showing how private conversations can differ sharply from the language used on the campaign trail.

For readers of Biden’s memoir, the most revealing detail may be the letter’s simplicity. On the day he left office, Trump chose to write a message about history, responsibility and the millions of Americans depending on the next president. Four years of political conflict followed, but those unexpected words remain part of the record of their relationship.