Trump reportedly left Biden a note in the Oval Office after all, despite skipping the inauguration and rejecting tradition
- President Donald Trump reportedly left President-elect Joe Biden a note in the Oval Office.
- In doing so, Trump upheld at least one tradition of outgoing presidents.
- Trump left town for Florida ahead of Biden's inauguration. He's the first outgoing president since 1869 to skip the inauguration of his successor.
President Donald Trump reportedly left President-elect Joe Biden a note in the Oval Office before skipping town for Florida on Wednesday.
Trump did not leave the note himself but got an aide to do it, according to Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs, who was first to report the news. It was unclear what the note said.
Traditionally, modern US presidents have left a note for the incoming president in the Oval Office as a sign of respect for the office and the democratic precedent of a peaceful transfer of power. In 2017, President Barack Obama left Trump a note that congratulated him on a "remarkable run."
"Millions have placed their hopes in you, and all of us, regardless of party, should hope for expanded prosperity and security during your tenure," Obama wrote.
But Trump was not known to respect the traditions of the office he held for the past four years. Trump, for example, is the first outgoing commander in chief since 1869 to skip the inauguration of his successor.
He also broke precedent by refusing to explicitly concede to Biden, a factor in the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6 that Trump sparked.
In this context, it was somewhat of a surprise that Trump left Biden a note.
Vice President Mike Pence also reportedly left a note for Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on his desk in the West Wing.
First lady Melania Trump left a note for the incoming first lady, Dr. Jill Biden, but did not personally write notes to White House residence employees, outsourcing that task to a staffer, CNN reported. She reportedly told the staffer to write the notes in her voice and then signed them.
This is a breaking news story and will continue to be updated.