It’s a tradition in the United States for outgoing presidents to leave a letter of advice to incoming presidents, since it’s the sort of unique job that nothing else can really prepare you for. Naturally, President Barack Obama carried this tradition on when the racist, orange tornado blew through the Oval Office, but up we never had a chance to see what that letter said. Was it just the words “pee tape” over and over again? Was it one of those ASCII middle fingers? Or was it a vicious, thoughtful deconstruction of all the worst parts of Donald Trump’s entire hateful, pathetic, and embarrassing life?
Unfortunately for us, Obama did the typical Obama thing and rose above the idiocy that he knew his successor would spew over this country and offered a sincere letter of legitimate, heartfelt advice. You can see it below, via Deadline:
Dear Mr. President –
Congratulations 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.
This is a unique office, without a clear blueprint for success, so I don’t know that any advice from me will be particularly helpful. Still, let me offer a few reflections from the past 8 years.