Biden Got An Oval Office Letter From Trump And May Leave One In The Desk Himself. It'd Be A First

Ronald Reagan probably didn't realize he was starting a tradition when he wrote a note congratulating his successor and left it in the Oval Office desk drawer after two terms as president.

He did that for George H.W. Bush, his successor and vice president of eight years. Bush did the same for Bill Clinton, who left a note for Bush's son, George W. The younger Bush left behind written words for Barack Obama, who later put pen to paper for Donald Trump.

Trump curiously continued this rite of presidential passage by writing a letter to Joe Biden, even as he opted out of other traditions, like attending Biden's inauguration .

History and politics now have intertwined to put President Biden in the unique position of writing a letter - if he so chooses - to Trump, his successor and the predecessor who left a note for him.

"This will mark the first time that a president who has received a letter from an outgoing president may well be writing a letter to the same person who's the incoming president," said Mark Updegrove, president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation.