This White House tradition is a reminder of the importance of civility
Only a handful of living people understand what it's like to be the president of the United States, and for any incoming POTUS, few things are more valuable than a note from the outgoing leader, imparting advice and words of encouragement.
With Donald Trump saying he's not sure if he'll accept the results of the election on Nov. 8, pundits are wistfully remembering what it was like when candidates, after sometimes brutal campaigns, agreed to move forward after the votes were counted for the sake of the country. When the losing candidate was the sitting president, it added another layer to the tradition of dropping a line to the next president. The letter George H.W. Bush wrote to Bill Clinton on Jan. 20, 1993, first started making the rounds in June, but it recently began circulating again, with some noting it was from a time when "politics had grace."
In the letter, Bush said he wished the Clinton family "well," and he was "rooting hard" for the new president. "There will be very tough times, made even more difficult by criticism you may not think is fair," Bush wrote. "I'm not a very good one to give advice; but just don't let the critics discourage you or push you off course."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Years later, Clinton wrote his own letter to George W. Bush (and included a copy of the note his father left him), and Bush 43 went on to write a missive to Barack Obama. His daughters, Jenna and Barbara, also penned a letter to Sasha and Malia Obama, sharing their memories of the White House, fun tips like "slide down the banister of the solarium," and their "most important piece of advice: Remember who your dad really is." Letters like this prove that civility has no political affiliation.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
'No war is good'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: will the US end child marriage?
Podcast Why some states have no lower limit on marriage age, plus Black maternal health and the price of olive oil
By The Week Staff Published
-
Perplexity AI: has Google finally met its match?
In The Spotlight Generative AI start-up provides fast, Wikipedia-like responses to search queries
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Ukraine cheers House approval of military aid
Speed Read Following a lengthy struggle, the House has approved $95 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Peter Murrell: Sturgeon's husband charged over SNP 'embezzlement' claims
Speed Read SNP expresses 'shock' as former chief executive rearrested in long-running investigation into claims of mishandled campaign funds
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Mark Menzies: Tories investigate MP after 'bad people' cash claims
Speed Read Fylde MP will sit as an independent while party looks into allegations he misused campaign funds on medical expenses and blackmail pay-out
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aid
Speed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks
Speed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published