US Prez Joe Biden says Donald Trump wrote him 'very generous letter'

It was unclear until Wednesday whether Trump would maintain the tradition of outgoing presidents leaving notes for their successors, after he opted to skip Biden's inauguration.

President Joe Biden said Wednesday that outgoing president Donald Trump had left him a "very generous" letter in the Oval Office, in keeping with tradition.

President Joe Biden looks up as he signs his first executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington. (AP)

"The president wrote a very generous letter," Biden told reporters at the White House.

"Because it's private, I will not talk about it until I talk to him," he said.

It was unclear until Wednesday whether Trump would maintain the tradition of outgoing presidents leaving notes for their successors, after he opted to skip Biden's inauguration and never formally congratulated him on his election win.