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By The Washington Post 
4h ago
Gillian brockell
Washington – US President Donald Trump was playing golf on Saturday when Joe Biden was declared the winner of the disputed 2020 election. Unlike other electoral losers, Trump did not congratulate his opponent or give a concession speech. Instead, he issued a statement falsely claiming electoral fraud and promising that “this election is far from over.”
Historically, when a presidential candidate has lost, he has written, telegrammed or called his opponent to congratulate him. In the age of television, losing candidates have also made a public concession speech, almost all with the same elements: 1) an acknowledgment of the will of the voters, 2) a prayer or message of support for the winner, 3 ) a call to heal the divisions of the campaign, and 4) when applied, a promise of a smooth transition of power.
For example, this is what President George HW Bush said in 1992 when he conceded to the Governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton:
“Well that’s how I see it … people have spoken and we respect the majesty of the Democratic system. I just called Governor Clinton in Little Rock and offered him my congratulations … I want the country to know that our entire administration will work. working closely with his team to ensure the smooth transition of power. There is important work to be done and America must always come first, so we will stand behind this new president and wish him well. “
Bush was a one-term president, as Trump will soon be, which can bring some pain. Losing to California Governor Ronald Reagan in 1980, President Jimmy Carter described it like this:
“I promised you four years ago that I would never lie to you, so I can’t stand here and say it doesn’t hurt. The people of the United States have made their choice, and of course I accept their decision. But I have to admit not with him. same enthusiasm that I accepted the decision four years ago. However, I deeply appreciate the system that allows people to freely choose who will lead them for the next four years. … “
Senator John McCain of Arizona, who lost to Senator Barack Obama of Illinois in 2008, not only congratulated his opponent but recognized the importance of the moment:
“This is a historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African Americans, and for the special pride they must have tonight … A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt’s invitation to Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage in many places. America today is a world away from the cruel and proud fanaticism of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African American to the presidency of the United States. “
In 1952, Adlai Stevenson said a prayer for winner Dwight Eisenhower: “That you may be the servant and guardian of peace and make the valley of trouble a door of hope, here is my sincerest prayer.” As Mitt Romney did for Obama in 2012: “I wish I could fulfill your hopes of leading the country in a different direction. But the nation elected another leader. That is why Ann (Romney) and I join you in praying fervently. for him and for this great nation. “
Some candidates, like Senator Bob Dole of Kansas in 1996, try to make a joke to open their speeches:
“I was thinking as I went down the elevator, ‘Tomorrow is the first time in my life that I have nothing to do.’ … Let me tell you, I spoke with President Clinton, we had a good visit and I congratulated him … I have said repeatedly in this campaign that the President is my opponent, not my enemy. And I wish him the best, and I promise my support in any advance in the cause of a better America. “
But even if the defeat is too bitter for jokes, for example, you lost all but your own states or won the popular vote but not the electoral college, it is vital to accept the results of the elections. Here is Walter Mondale after winning only the District of Columbia and his home state of Minnesota in 1984: “We rejoice in the freedom of a wonderful people and accept their verdict.” And this is how Hillary Clinton managed to win 3 million more votes than Donald Trump, but fell very short in the electoral college four years ago:
“I continue to believe in America, and I always will. And if it does, then we must accept this outcome and then look to the future. Donald Trump will be our president. We owe him an open mind and the opportunity to lead. Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power. And we not only respect that, we appreciate it. “
When Richard Nixon narrowly lost to John Kennedy in 1960, he delivered the standard worthy speech, congratulating Kennedy and promising to support him. If you don’t remember it that way, you may be mistaking it for Nixon’s speech two years later, when he lost the California gubernatorial race and gave a famous self-pity speech that read, “You won’t have Nixon to kick anymore.” , and promised that it would be his last press conference. (It wasn’t. He won the presidency six years later).
In 1976, first lady Betty Ford gave her husband Gerald Ford’s concession speech, as her voice had become too harsh and strained that night to go in another direction.
Yet of all concession speeches, former Vice President Al Gore’s is the gold standard. This speech had it all: opening joke, congratulations, acceptance of the result, a prayer, a call to heal, and the slightest bit of bitterness. It even contains a quote from another electoral loser: Stephen Douglas speaking with Abraham Lincoln.
On election night in 2000, Gore gave in to Texas Governor George W. Bush and then backed down on his concession when it became clear that Florida was too close to call. Five weeks later, after the intervention of the Supreme Court and the Bush presidency, Gore delivered this speech:
“A few moments ago, I spoke to George W. Bush and congratulated him on becoming the 43rd President of the United States. And I promised that I would not call him again this time. I offered to meet with him as soon as possible. So that we can get started. to heal the divisions of the campaign and the contest that we just passed through.
“Nearly a century and a half ago, Senator Stephen Douglas told Abraham Lincoln, who had just defeated him for the presidency, ‘Partisan sentiment must give way to patriotism. I’m with you, Mr. President, and God bless you. ‘ Well, in that same spirit, I say to President-elect Bush that what remains of the partisan grudge must now be put aside, and God bless his administration of this country.
“… Let there be no doubt, although I totally disagree with the decision of the Court, I accept it. I accept the purpose of this result, which will be ratified next Monday and the electoral college, and tonight, by the For the sake of our unity as a people and the strength of our democracy, I offer you my concession.
“… (H) istory gives us many examples of disputes so hotly debated and so fiercely fought, with their own challenges to the popular will. Other disputes have dragged on for weeks before reaching a resolution, and each time, both The victor and the vanquished have accepted the result peacefully and with a spirit of reconciliation. So be it with us. “
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