He skipped out on President Biden’s inauguration — but former president Donald Trump claimed in an interview that he “took a lot of time” to write his successor a “nice note.”
In an interview airing Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Trump dished on the one piece of White House transition tradition he chose to uphold.
“I left him a note,” he told host Kristen Welker.
“I think it was very — it was a nice note. I took a lot of time in thinking about it.”
“I’d love him to do a great job, even if it was very bad politically,” he added.
In 2021, Biden told reporters that Trump, following a custom started by Ronald Reagan in 1989, had left a message for him in the Resolute Desk of the Oval Office on his last day as commander-in-chief.
“The president wrote a very generous letter,” Biden said, refusing to divulge its contents.
“Because it was private, I will — won’t talk about it until I talk to him,” he explained.
“But it was generous.”
Trump, who left the White House hours before the start of the Inauguration Day transfer of power ceremonies, was the first living president in 152 years not to attend his successor’s swearing-in — and the two never subsequently spoke.
In the new “Meet the Press” interview, Trump declared that Biden, 80, is not “too old” to be president.
“[You] know, some of the greatest world leaders have been in their 80s,” the 77-year-old GOP candidate said.
“I’m not anywhere very near 80, by the way.”
“I don’t think Biden’s too old — but I think he’s incompetent,” Trump added.
“And that’s a bigger problem.”