WASHINGTON – Previous President Donald Trump’s exit from business reflected a great deal of his tenure: It was unprecedented.
Usually, sitting presidents do symbolic items these as internet hosting their successors at the White Property, attending the Inauguration of the incoming president, and much more, to signify a peaceful transfer of electricity.
Even so, as Trump railed and erroneously insisted until just about the last working day that the election was fraudulent and stolen from him, he snubbed quite a few of these traditions.
Listed here are the amount of traditions Trump broke primary into President Joe Biden’s to start with day, and one he astonishingly kept.
Tradition he saved
Leaving a letter for predecessor
Trump eschewed most of the traditional roles a president fills for the inauguration of his successor, apart from a person: He still left a letter for Biden.
More:Biden states Trump wrote him ‘a really generous’ letter ahead of he still left White House
Presidents typically depart a take note of congratulations and assistance behind in the Oval Workplace, but some had questioned no matter whether Trump would do so given his hesitancy to even accept Biden’s victory.
Later Wednesday, Biden verified he gained the letter, continuing a cordial tradition that goes back again to at the very least the 1980s, telling reporters from the Oval Business that the note was “very generous.”
“The president wrote a really generous letter,” Biden mentioned. “Simply because it was private, I will not chat about it till I communicate to him. But it was generous.”
In the previous, presidents have employed the notes to underscore the importance of the position and the rewards, hardships and loneliness that in some cases will come with it. Individuals notes have also generally set apart the partisanship of the election and made available assistance for a productive presidency.
Traditions that had been broken
Inviting election victor to White House
Usually, sitting down presidents invite their predecessors to the White Household, but Trump did not invite Biden to the White Dwelling for a meeting following Biden was declared the winner of November’s presidential election.
Trump did not acknowledge he missing the election until Jan. 7, as he faced mounting criticism for his handling of the violence that erupted a working day before at the Capitol.
The custom is aimed at highlighting the peaceful transfer of energy and involve discussions of the hand-off of the White Residence.
President Barack Obama achieved with then President-elect Trump just two days following the election. President George W. Bush confirmed Obama the Oval Place of work fewer than a 7 days right after Election Working day 2008.
In pledging a smooth transition, Obama instructed Trump then “we now are going to want to do every thing we can to enable you triumph — because if you triumph, then the state succeeds.”
The meetings commonly require the sitting down president supplying their successor pieces of suggestions and what the most important difficulties they face will be. Obama famously warned Trump against selecting Michael Flynn as countrywide security adviser for the reason that of his ties to Russian officials.
Tea-and-tour custom in between to start with girls
Outgoing initial girl Melania Trump did not have out just one last first-girl responsibility by inviting initial girl Jill Biden to tea and a tour of the White Household relatives quarters.
Melania Trump to Jill Biden: No tea-and-tour at White Residence, breaking longstanding custom
She failed to do so prior to she and Trump remaining for Florida, producing the snub the to start with deliberate split in the 100-year-previous to start with ladies’ transfer-of-power tradition in a long time.
“In contemporary historical past, there has always been an invitation, this goes again to at minimum Bess Truman and Mamie Eisenhower (in 1952),” claims Kate Andersen Brower, author of “Very first Gals: The Grace and Electric power of America’s Modern day Initial Females.”
In an interview Tuesday with former 1st daughter Jenna Bush Hager on the “Right now” demonstrate, Biden’s daughter, Ashley Biden, shrugged at the affect.
“No, I don’t think they are carrying out the traditional protocol, which is unlucky,” she mentioned. “But I think we are all Okay with it.”
Far more:Ashley Biden on father Joe Biden getting business office, Melania Trump breaking tea-and-tour custom
Trip from White House to Capitol, pre-inauguration ceremony and assembly
The departing president typically welcomes the incoming president on the measures of the North Portico, and then they typically journey down Pennsylvania Avenue together to the Capitol and inauguration.
Before Trump’s 2017 presidential swearing-in, he and Melania achieved the Obamas at the White Residence for a pre-inauguration espresso ceremony.
Even so, Trump broke these traditions this calendar year, as he did not attend the inauguration.
Instead of the Trumps, the Bidens were being likely greeted by White Residence chief usher Timothy Harleth. The Biden administration later fired Harleth, who was set up by Trump.
Attending the inauguration of predecessor
By skipping Biden’s inauguration, Trump broke with 152 several years of White Property tradition.
Trump grew to become the first outgoing president to refuse to attend the inauguration of his successor given that 1869, when President Andrew Johnson stayed in the White Home as Ulysses S. Grant was sworn in as the 18th president.
In lieu of attending the inauguration, Trump alternatively dealt with supporters at an early farewell ceremony at Joint Foundation Andrews that showcased a 21-gun salute and a military band actively playing “Hail to the Chief.”
Trump then flew to Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Seashore club in Florida. He was there when the clock struck noon, ending a contentious presidential phrase that shut with days of seclusion after the riot at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6.
Contributing: David Jackson, John Fritze, Michael Collins Sara M Moniuszko, Maria Puente, United states of america Right now
