WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden said his predecessor, Donald Trump, left him a “very generous letter” before leaving Washington ahead of his inauguration on Wednesday.
Biden told reporters in the oval office: “The president has written a very generous letter. Since it was private, I won’t talk about it until I talk to him. ”
The comments came after Biden signed three executive actions, including a requirement for face masks on federal property and a measure that the US would reintroduce into the Paris climate deal.
The signing was Biden’s first press availability at the Oval Office, where a decor from the previous administration has been replaced. He sat at the Resolute Desk, same Trump desk, Barack Obama and several other presidents have used. Busts of Martin Luther King Jr and Robert F. Kennedy, whose career inspired Biden’s work in public service, flanked the room’s fireplace.
On a table behind the desk were pictures of Biden’s family and a bust of union leader Cesar Chavez.
Trump left Washington early Wednesday and arrived at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, before Biden was sworn in to replace him in the White House.
After signing the actions, Biden swore to about 1,000 political appointees at the White House and federal agencies, who attended via video conference in the East Room.
“We need to restore the soul of this country and I am counting on all of you,” he said. “We’ve reached a point, in my opinion, where the American people – the blinders have been removed.”
He said the government’s vaccination program against the coronavirus would be the “most consistent logistical thing ever done in the United States,” and that his administration can “address this existential threat of climate change.”
But he also urged his appointees to lead with “one core American value: humility and trust.”
“If you ever work with me and I hear that you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk to someone, I will fire you on the spot. No ifs or buts, ”Biden said. “Everyone is entitled to decent and dignified treatment. That has been widely missing for the past four years. ”
In response to a question from a reporter, Biden said he is not concerned about the confirmation of his cabinet nominees. The Senate has yet to fill one of its cabinet posts.