The Letters That Outgoing Presidents Wrote to Their Successors
Each one reminds us what a peaceful—and gracious—transfer of power looks like.
One of the most crucial aspects of a functioning democracy is the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next. Each of the following five letters, handwritten by an outgoing president and left in the Oval Office for the incoming president to find, reminds us of the sanctity of that fundamental practice. Reagan wrote to Bush. Bush wrote to Clinton. Clinton to Bush. Bush to Obama. And Obama to Trump. Regardless of party. Regardless of personal beliefs.
Each letter humanizes this small but monumental moment in the
