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OBAMA'S INAUGURATION DAY LETTER TO TRUMP OFFERS WISDOM, URGES PROTECTION OF U.S. LEADERSHIP

In an Oval Office letter to President Trump, former President Barack Obama congratulated his successor on a “remarkable run” and urged him to safeguard democratic institutions and American global leadership.

The White House missive, handwritten by Obama and left in a desk on Inauguration Day, was the last direct communication between the two presidents, according to CNN, which obtained a copy of the letter.

“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,” Obama began. “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.”

Trump has remarked on the thoughtfulness of the letter and shown it to visitors to the Oval Office or his private White House residence, according to CNN.

Obama told Trump that the two of them have “both been blessed, in different ways, with great good fortune.”

“Not everyone is so lucky,” he wrote. “It's up to us to do everything we can (to) build more ladders of success for every child and family that's willing to work hard.”

Obama told Trump that the two of them have “both been blessed, in different ways, with great good fortune.”
Obama told Trump that the two of them have “both been blessed, in different ways, with great good fortune.” (MANDEL NGAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
In an Oval Office letter to President Trump, former President Barack Obama congratulated his successor on a “remarkable run” and urged him to safeguard democratic institutions and American global leadership.

The White House missive, handwritten by Obama and left in a desk on Inauguration Day, was the last direct communication between the two presidents, according to CNN, which obtained a copy of the letter.

“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,” Obama began. “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.”

Trump has remarked on the thoughtfulness of the letter and shown it to visitors to the Oval Office or his private White House residence, according to CNN.

“Not everyone is so lucky,” he wrote. “It's up to us to do everything we can (to) build more ladders of success for every child and family that's willing to work hard.”

He went on to advise the new President that American leadership in the world is “indispensable” and encourage him to sustain the post-Cold War international order.

“We are just temporary occupants of this office. That makes us guardians of those democratic institutions and traditions — like rule of law, separation of powers, equal protection and civil liberties — that our forebears fought and bled for,” Obama wrote. “Regardless of the push and pull of daily politics, it's up to us to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them.”

He closed with the advice to make time for family and friends, who would help him get through “rough patches” in his tenure, and offered any help he or his wife Michelle could provide.

Trump called Obama when he read the letter to express his gratitude, but didn’t get through as Obama was en route to California with his family, according to CNN. The two men haven’t spoken directly since.

"It was long. It was complex. It was thoughtful," Trump told ABC News about the letter in January, without revealing its context. "And it took time to do it, and I appreciated it."
-NY DAILY NEWS, September 3, 2017
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/obama-private-letter-trump-urges-protect-u-s-leadership-article-1.3465813