Joe Biden has no plans to call Trump anytime soon days after receiving 'generous letter' from outgoing POTUS
President Joe Biden reportedly has no plans to call his predecessor Donald Trump after he left him a "very generaous letter" before leaving the White House. “There's no call planned,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at a Thursday briefing. At the time, Psaki was responding to questions on Biden's remarks a day earlier when he said Trump had left him a "very generous" letter in the Oval Office and that he planned to talk to him soon.
However, it's worth noting that Trump broke a centuries-old tradition by choosing not to attend his successor's inauguration. “What he was conveying is that he didn't want to release a private note without having agreement from the former president. But I wouldn't say he's seeking it through a phone call, he was just trying to be respectful in that moment of a private letter that was sent,” Psaki said.
Trump surprised a number of political pundits by not forgoing the 32-year-old tradition of leaving behind a note on the Resolute Desk for the incoming commander-in-chief. Former President Ronald Reagan began the tradition when he welcomed his vice president, George H.W. Bush, to the White House with a letter of good wishes for his upcoming tenure, according to Newsweek. But Trump raised speculation that he would ignore the tradition of leaving a farewell note for his successor after he chose not to attend the inauguration, just weeks after a contentious election. "The president wrote a very generous letter. Because it was private, I will not talk about it until I talk to him. But it was generous," Biden told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
Earlier today, MEAWW reported how Psaki said Biden had "bigger issues" to worry about than adhering to his own mandate about wearing a face mask on federal property. C-SPAN footage captured how the 46th POTUS ditched his COVID mask for a while as he addressed the public on Wednesday from the Lincoln Memorial, which is technically federal land.
While Biden put his mask on after the address, his older grandchildren and daughter Ashley were also spotted without masks at the event. The new president had signed a mandate requiring masks on federal property and interstate public travel just hours earlier. Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked the press secretary about the maskless moments. In response, Psaki said Biden had been "celebrating" a "historic day in our country" and was surrounded by family.
Doocy noted how Biden had said in his inaugural address about leading "not merely by the example of our power but by the power of our example." "Was that a good example for people watching?" he asked. "I think we have bigger issues to worry about at this moment in time," Psaki replied.
"Wearing masks isn’t a partisan issue — it’s a patriotic act that can save countless lives," Biden tweeted on Wednesday. "That’s why I signed an executive order today issuing a mask mandate on federal property. It’s time to mask up, America."
Wearing masks isn't a partisan issue — it's a patriotic act that can save countless lives. That's why I signed an executive order today issuing a mask mandate on federal property. It's time to mask up, America.
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 21, 2021
His "100-day masking challenge" executive order will require masks and social distancing in all federal buildings, land, by federal employees and contractors. It is also expected to be followed while traveling across states.