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Trump's secret Sharpie letter to Biden revealed: The gushing words he never wanted MAGA to see after his 'stolen' election fury

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Cite

Schwab, N. (2026, November 11). Trump's secret Sharpie letter to Biden revealed: The gushing words he never wanted MAGA to see after his 'stolen' election fury. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16282925/Donald-trump-Joe-biden-letter-inauguration-day.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

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Daily Mail · collected 2026-11-11 · by Nikki Schwab

Quick Summary

President Donald Trump wrote a surprisingly supportive letter to incoming President Joe Biden on his last day in office in January 2021, despite publicly contesting the election results and refusing to attend Biden's inauguration. The New York Times reported an excerpt from Biden’s upcoming memoir where he details the full text of the note left at the Resolute Desk, which includes Trump expressing belief in Biden's commitment to the American people and predicting that Biden would change history. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung responded defensively to the revelation, criticizing Biden's presidency and praising Trump's alleged wisdom.
Written by AI on 2026-11-11, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In his new memoir "Promise Me, America," former President Joe Biden reveals a letter left for him by outgoing President Donald Trump when Biden took office in January 2021. Despite Trump's public claims that the election was stolen and his refusal to attend Biden's inauguration, the letter expresses warm wishes, with Trump writing, "I know how much you love the American people." The full text of the letter, dated January 20, 2021, appears in an excerpt obtained by The New York Times. This revelation highlights the stark contrast between Trump's public rhetoric and his private sentiments toward Biden at that time.

Written for “Trump's Secret Letter To Biden Revealed” on 2026-11-11, grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it +0.35, but all 2 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 143484: attributed speech only · logged 2026-11-11

Story

Trump's Secret Letter To Biden Revealed
Politics · 6 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Global News
Hedges 1 of 17 claims Outlet record 63/100
Toronto Star
Hedges 4 of 43 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Biden's memoir; one focuses on Biden's criticism of Trump regarding Jan. 6, while the other reveals a letter from Trump to Biden written in secret.”
The Daily Wire
Hedges 3 of 29 claims Outlet record 58/100
The Straits Times
Hedges 5 of 47 claims Outlet record 66/100
The Independent
Hedges 2 of 25 claims Outlet record 59/100
“The articles describe different interactions between Trump and Biden involving distinct forms of communication (oral conversation vs. written letter) at separate times.”
Washington Examiner
Hedges 1 of 2 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe different interactions between Trump and Biden: one is a face-to-face meeting at the White House, while the other involves a secret letter left for Biden.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
22
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 22 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
69/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
6
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-11 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 10372 article(s) · 24 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 24 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Nikki Schwab
20 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
The New York Times reported Tuesday on an excerpt from Biden's White House memoir, which will be released in a week.
Moore was asked at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's B20 Summit whether he could get something done with Miller, an immigration hardliner who concocted President Donald Trump's family separation policy during the Republican's first term.
For months, he has warned that a Democratic takeover of Congress could spell trouble for his presidency, repeatedly predicting that lawmakers would move to impeach him.
After President Donald Trump won a majority of Latinos in Texas in 2024, Democrats were despondent that the long-predicted blue wave in the Lone Star state would never come. But after James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa scored smashing victories for Democrats, it's Republicans reacting with despair.
Take Daily Mail's quiz and find out Texas Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico compared his rival, Republican Ken Paxton, to an 'obnoxious' bar patron during his final outing as a Senate candidate before Election Day. Talarico packed downtown Austin's barbecue joint Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater Monday night with nervous Democrats who were holding their breath to see if a Democrat could finally win statewide after 32 years. At a rally alongside Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa, the 37-year-old Talarico stuffed his speech with pop culture references and with an example that his beer-drinking supporters would easily understand.
Take Daily Mail's quiz and find out President Donald Trump finished his sprint to the midterm elections Sunday night with final rallies in Iowa and Kansas, as a doomsday poll showed Republican candidates behind in all seven key Senate races. Trump hoped that headlining 30 rallies - and pumping up his MAGA base - would prevent a blue tsunami, where the GOP majorities in the House and Senate are wiped out.
The blue-collar coalition that powered him to the White House in 2016, and stuck with him through 2020 and 2024, may finally be breaking.
With nearly all reputable experts forecasting that the House will be captured by the Democrats, the focus is on control of the Senate, which will be decided by a handful states.
Trump was expected to head to Salina, Kansas, on Saturday to boost Republican Senator Roger Marshall, who's in a surprisingly tight reelection race, but strangely abandoned the adoring crowds and scheduled tele-rallies from Mar-a-Lago instead.
'It says something to the effect that: "Under no circumstances, and for any reason, will you even consider thinking about running for President if you had,"' Trump said before changing tack.
Also by Nikki Schwab
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 20 articles by Nikki Schwab →

Topics

American DC Insider Democrat Washington White House

Subjects

Biden PERSON · 17× Trump PERSON · 13× Donald Trump PERSON · 5× Joe Biden PERSON · 4× White House ORG · 3× American NORP · 2× Democrat NORP · 2× Melania Trump PERSON · 2× Richard Nixon PERSON · 2× DC Insider ORG · 1×

Narrative

Biden wrote in the book that the letter struck him 'as if there were two Donald Trump.' The letter was written in the aftermath of the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, which Biden alluded to by saying that Trump had 'deeply destabilized our democracy.' He also recalled how Trump had 'not offered the traditional meeting between Presidents.' President Joe Biden revealed the full contents of President Donald Trump's letter to him that he received on inauguration day 2021 (pictured).
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-11
The New York Times reported Tuesday on an excerpt from Biden's White House memoir, which will be released in a week.

Claims (22 extracted, 0 hedged)

- Sign up HERE for DC Insider - your free guide to what’s rocking Washington asserted
what → sign → Washington
President Donald Trump was still publicly saying the election was 'stolen' and refused to attend President Joe Biden's inauguration in 2021, yet he wrote a gushing letter to the incoming Democrat, Biden's forthcoming book revealed. asserted
book → say → Democrat
The New York Times reported Tuesday on an excerpt from Biden's White House memoir, which will be released in a week. asserted
which → report → week
In it, Biden includes the letter Trump left for him in the Resolute Desk, in its entirety. asserted
Trump → include → entirety
'Many presidents have come and gone who simply governed as Republicans or Democrats,' Trump scrawled in his trademark Sharpie. asserted
Trump → come → Sharpie
'Largely, they did not change history, they were just swept along in its relentless tide.' asserted
they → change → tide
'This will not happen to you because I know how much you love the American people,' he said. asserted
he → happen → people
Biden wrote in the book that the letter struck him 'as if there were two Donald Trump.' The letter was written in the aftermath of the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, which Biden alluded to by saying that Trump had 'deeply destabilized our democracy.' He also recalled how Trump had 'not offered the traditional meeting between Presidents.' President Joe Biden revealed the full contents of President Donald Trump's letter to him that he received on inauguration day 2021 (pictured). asserted
he → write → day
Biden has a White House memoir coming out next Tuesday President Donald Trump (left) and First Lady Melania Trump (right) attended a farewell ceremony at Joint Base Andrews on January 20, 2021 instead of attending President Joe Bidne's inauguration - yet Trump left Biden a gushing letter, Biden's new book said Instead, Trump became the first modern President since Richard Nixon, who resigned from office, to skip his successor's swearing-in. asserted
who → have → swearing
In the letter, Trump said he knew that Biden would be 'true to yourself and the American people. asserted
Biden → say → yourself
' 'Your strength, your deepest reservoir of energy, comes from the knowledge that millions upon millions of people are depending on you. asserted
millions → come → you
Their ambitions and aspirations are the reason you are here, with so many counting on your success,' Trump wrote. asserted
Trump → count → success
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung pointed to this advice when responding to the contents of the letter to the Times. asserted
Cheung → point → Times
'Joe Biden should have heeded the president’s wise words, but instead he tried to destroy this country and weaponize the justice system against his political enemies,' Cheung said in a statement. asserted
Cheung → heed → statement
'Biden is a disgrace, and America is better off with him no longer as president,' he added. asserted
he → add → president
But the tone of the letter isn't entirely surprising, as Trump was friendly to Biden when the situation was reversed - on inauguration day 2025, when Trump was reentering the White House, a celebration Biden attended. asserted
Biden → reverse → House
In the book Retribution by ABC's Jonathan Karl, which was shared with the Daily Mail, Trump told Biden they would have been 'great friends' had it not been for politics. asserted
it → share → politics
Former First Lady Melania Trump (left) and President Donald Trump (right) arrive in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 20, 2021, after skipping President Joe Biden's inauguration. asserted
Trump → arrive → inauguration
Trump was the first modern President since Richard Nixon to skip a successor's swearing-in Trump called the Bidens a 'beautiful couple' as he reentered the White House, four years to the day that he had departed. He also told Biden to 'stay in touch. asserted
He → skip → touch
' 'Let me know if there is anything you need,' the incoming Republican President added before Biden and outgoing First Lady Jill Biden boarded the presidential helicopter. asserted
Biden → let → helicopter
Since then, Trump has continued to malign Biden, falsely say the 2020 election was 'rigged,' and he hung a picture of an autopen alongside the White House Rose Garden instead of a portrait of the Democrat. asserted
he → continue → Democrat
Biden's memoir, Promise Me, America, comes out next Tuesday. asserted
memoir → promise → Me
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