Did you know? When ex-President Obama left the White House, he left a letter for incoming President Trump in a top drawer of the desk in the White House’s Oval Office. Recently, President Trump made the content of that letter public.
The letter, which reads relatively straightforwardly, seems innocuous enough at first glance; in fact, viewers may even think the tone of it is somewhat patronizing — after all, if President Trump isn’t aware of the powers and responsibilities of the commander-in-chief’s office, why did he run for the job?
But when looking at the letter in the context of the leadership styles of the two presidents, it’s clear that Obama had subtle messages for Trump that can be validly criticized. For instance, it seems clear that Obama expected that Trump would try to infringe on the supposed “rights” of certain people (illegal immigrants, for example) and that Trump would try to reverse policies and practices promoted by the former president. So in this way, Obama’s words are less about wishing him success and more an attempt at admonishment in advance.
Watch as the contents of former President Obama’s letter to President Trump are spilled and dissected.
