Dear Donald... Obama’s advice to successor

IN THE final minutes of his time in the Oval Office, just before he left for his successor’s inauguration, Barack Obama slipped a letter inside the top drawer of the Resolute desk.

In it he offered Donald Trump, the new president, his congratulations, a rather pointed guide to the American constitution and some words of advice.

“Congratulations on a remarkable run,” he wrote, according to a copy of the letter obtained by CNN. “Millions have placed their hopes in you, and all of us, regardless of party, should hope for expanded prosperity and security during your tenure.

“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 eight years.” Perhaps as a gentle rebuke to Mr Trump’s fiery rhetoric of building walls and putting America first, Mr Obama urged his successor to build “ladders of success” for people less fortunate and

‘This is a unique office… so I don’t know that any advice from me will be particularly helpful’

to remember the importance of American leadership in the world.

He also reminded the 45th president – a political neophyte – of his place in the constitution and the temporary nature of his time in the White House.

“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… it’s up to us to leave those instruments of our democracy at least as strong as we found them,” he wrote.

In his first days in office, Mr Trump thanked his predecessor for his wise counsel. He has since tried to overturn much of the Obama legacy. But the Oval Office letter is a tradition that spans party divides.

When George W Bush left, he wrote to Mr Obama: “There will be trying moments… but you will have an Almighty God to comfort you, a family who love you, and a country that is pulling for you, including me.”

Mr Obama struck a similar tone, advising: “Take time… for friends and family. They’ll get you through the inevitable rough patches.”