Twitter Takes a Stab at Writing the Note Donald Trump Left for Joe Biden on Inauguration Day

On Wednesday, the White House confirmed that President Donald Trump left a letter for President Joe Biden in the Oval Office, and social media commenters had a field day guessing what it might say. According to a Politico report, Trump administration spokesperson Judd Deere confirmed the existence of the letter but would not reveal its contents. This left plenty of room for Twitter to fill in the blanks.

The phrase “Dear Joe” was trending on Wednesday as Twitter imagined what a letter from Trump to Biden would say. Most were not real guesses, but jokes — either made up from scratch or referencing other infamous correspondences. Many of the top tweets included song lyrics, quotes or letters from TV and movies. There is no telling whether the real contents of the letter will be made public.

The tradition of outgoing presidents leaving letters for their successors reportedly began with President Ronald Reagan. In 1989, he left President George H.W. Bush a note reading: “don’t let the turkeys get you down.” Since then, the ritual has continued regardless of political party lines.

In the case of Trump and Biden, however, Americans found it hard to imagine any reconciliatory note in the letter. After Trump’s constant personal attacks on Biden throughout the campaign, they assumed the letter would have the same tone. Scroll down for a look at what they imagined.

Making Up

Some users joked that Trump’s letter might be a hasty, last-minute attempt to make up with Biden and apologize for all the insults he hurled during the 2020 presidential election. These jokes were mostly predicated on the belief that Trump is guilty of some crimes he will have to answer for as a civilian — whether that’s incitement, as his second impeachment charges, or something else.

TV Remote Instructions

Others joked about Trump’s habits of watching cable news and eating fast food, figuring he might think Biden would need those same amenities. 

‘Jersey Shore’

A few users dredged up infamous letters exchanged between TV characters over the years, including one from Jersey Shore nearly two decades ago. The obscurity of the joke only seemed to make it more funny for those who got it.

Lyrics

For some, the first things that came to mind were song lyrics with a direct address, capturing the dynamic they imagined between Trump and Biden. In addition to Eminem’s “Stan” listed above, users quoted Kendrick Lamar’s “Mortal Man,” Drake’s “Hotline Bling” and Chief Keef’s “Love Sosa,” among others.

Middle Finger

Most assumed that Trump’s letter to Biden would come with animosity, and many assumed that it would be short and inarticulate as well. In fact, many guessed it could be summed up with one simple hand gesture.

M.A.S.H. Game

Some joked that Trump’s letter to Biden would be a simple pencil-and-paper game played by school children, such as the “M.A.S.H.” game. 

SNL’s ‘Dear Sister’

Finally, some related the melodrama of Trump’s letter to a fan-favorite SNL sketch, “Dear Sister.” Biden swore the oath of office at noon on Wednesday, officially making him the 46th president of the United States.