President Donald Trump, while signing a flurry of executive orders at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, discovered a letter from his predecessor, Joe Biden, tucked away in one of the desk’s drawers. Trump was in the process of signing executive orders on Monday when a Fox News reporter, Peter Doocy, asked him if Biden had left him a letter. Trump jokingly teased the room by suggesting they all read the letter together before pulling back the reins and instead deciding to read it first himself.
Trump then revealed that he had left a similar letter for Biden in the desk, continuing a 36-year tradition started by Ronald Reagan in 1989. The tradition involves the outgoing president leaving a note for the incoming president, with or without a personal message.
Trump’s discovery of the letter was met with a nod to Doocy, who had helped uncover the hidden note. The president reflected on the passing of the torch, saying, “I think it’s a great tradition, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
