WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden promised nothing short of a national exorcism when he took office. He wanted to “restore the soul” of the country and prove that Donald Trump was only a footnote in the American story, not its next chapter.

Biden is in the unique position of writing a letter — if he so chooses — to Trump, his successor and the predecessor who left a note for him.

Biden's remarks come less than a week before he prepares to cede power to a man he described as an existential threat to the country's democratic institutions