Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have defeated President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential
election, rendering the former Apprentice host as America's first one-term president
since George H.W. Bush. While Trump has not been quick to accept the results of the election,
the Constitution makes it clear — after January 20th, which is Inauguration Day
for the new president — the office of the presidency will transfer to Joe Biden.
In 2021, life will once again change for Donald Trump. But life doesn't exactly go back to normal
for anyone after they serve as president of the United States. The position is unique,
so there are several laws in place that spell out what retired presidents are meant to do.
One such act, the Former Presidents Act, covers aspects of life after the presidency,
including pensions and allowances they are entitled to, as well as a budget of
$1 million in taxpayer funding for security and travel expenses. There are also a few
other things that former presidents are expected to tick off their checklists.
As a member of the most exclusive group in the world, Trump is expected to open a library in
his name. The practice of setting up a library is neither mentioned in the Former Presidents Act,
nor is it addressed in the constitution, but it is enshrined in the Presidential Libraries Act,
which became law in 1955. The first president to open a library actually predates the act:
Franklin D Roosevelt who worried that the records from his administration
might either be lost or sold, and he wanted a place to keep his memoirs.
Because the presidents fund the libraries where their papers are stored, they get the
chance to remember their time in office their way. For instance, Bill Clinton's
library doesn't say much about Monica Lewinsky and the scandal that led to his impeachment;
and the George W. Bush Library defends his more controversial calls like the invasion
of Iraq. That said, we can only wonder what kind of tales a Trump Library might tell.
If you're a former president, you'll need to get used to the Secret Service being forever
at your side — unless you specifically ask for them to be withdrawn. This means
agents will be on hand to check all mail, as well as packages they think
might be suspicious. Former presidents (and vice presidents, like Biden) are
also typically not allowed to operate any kind of motor vehicles on public roads.
Instead, they are usually driven around by agents, who are trained in evasive
and defensive driving maneuvers. One retired agent has said that, quote, "For the most part,
the Secret Service's preference would be to drive the former presidents at all
times." But there have been times when our former leaders have broken with the rules.
"Watch out, people!"
The late Ronald Reagan drove his Jeeps around his ranch near Santa Barbara,
California. As one agent recalls,
"Everything was completely open. No seat belts. He's driving and I'm thinking:
'If we go over the edge, how I'm going to drag him out of that car?"
George W. Bush also enjoys getting around his ranch in Texas in his pickup truck.
This particular Secret Service rule has irked Joe Biden already. He owns a 1967
Chevy Corvette convertible, and he's told Car and Driver that being banned from driving was,
quote, "the one thing I hate about this job."
"How does it feel to get behind the wheel after all these years —" "It feels
great, man. It feels great. I've always loved to drive."
We know President Donald Trump loves his nicknames and that
they make regular appearances on his Twitter feed.
"I don't respond to Donald Trump and his string of insults." "She's been crooked from the beginning!"
But when he steps down now or in four years' time, he'll have to curb his enthusiasm for
criticizing everything he doesn't like on social media. That's because there is an
unwritten protocol for the former president not to critique the current holder of the office.
The worst offender of this unofficial rule to date was former President Jimmy Carter,
when in 2007, he called the Bush administration, quote, "the worst in history." He eventually
walked his comment back, claiming he had been quoted out of context.
Still, this rule has had many other offenders. Theodore Roosevelt was no
fan of his successors William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson, even calling Taft a "puzzlewit"
and a "fathead." And the gloves have come off somewhat during the current election cycle,
with former President Barack Obama having come out swinging against Trump on the campaign trail.
"America is a good and decent place. But we've just seen so much noise and nonsense
that sometimes it's hard for us to remember."
Either way, there's little reason to expect that Trump of all people
will stick to this old norm. If he moves quietly into the next phase
of his life, it'd be among the most surprising things he's ever done.
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