Washington – US President Donald Trump has made an emotional mention of a “beautiful letter” that he said Barack Obama had left for him in the White House, teasing the press about its contents.
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“I just went to the Oval Office and found this beautiful letter from President Obama,” he said at a swearing-in ceremony for several top administration appointees.
“It was really very nice of him to do that and we will cherish that,” he said, holding up a white envelope before tucking it back in his jacket pocket.
“We will keep that. And we won’t even tell the press what’s in that letter.”
It has long been part of American tradition for an outgoing president to leave a letter for his successor on the desk of the Oval Office.
The letter left in 1993 by Republican president George H.W. Bush for Democrat Bill Clinton – the man who deprived him of a second term – was considered particularly elegant.
“Your success now is our country’s success,” it read. “I am rooting hard for you. Good luck.”
Bush warned Clinton that “there will be very tough times, made even more difficult by criticism you may not think is fair.” But the elder Bush added that even entering the Oval Office on his last day as president, “I felt the same sense of wonder and respect that I felt four years ago.”
The previous President left three numbered envelopes for the new President.
“Open these if you run up against a problem you don’t think you can solve,” the outgoing President said to the new.
Things went along pretty smoothly for the first six months, but then his ratings took a downturn and the new President began catching a lot of heat. He went to his drawer and took out the first envelope. The message read, “Blame your predecessor.”
The President called a press conference and tactfully laid the blame at the feet of the previous administration. His ratings began to pick up and the problem was soon behind him.
About a year later, the country was again experiencing bad times, combined with seriously low Presidential ratings. Having learned from his previous experience, he opened the second envelope. The message read, “Reorganize.” This he did, and the country quickly rebounded.
After several months later, the country once again fell on hard times. The President went to his office, closed the door and opened the third envelope.
The message said, “Prepare three envelopes.”