Election seasons can bring out the worst in us all. After this tumultuous election, we will need a well-deserved break and a sense of resolution. In most presidential elections, this starts with a concession speech. Traditionally, the losing candidate will concede defeat to the winner of the election. Accepting defeat, while humbling, shows respect to our electoral system and the voice of the people. This is especially important for contentious campaigns. Concession speeches help allow for a peaceful transition of power between two opposing sides and are a powerful symbol of the fairness our democratic system.
Candidates such as former President George H.W. Bush, Al Gore and John McCain have made powerful remarks in their concession speeches. Bush said, after losing to Bill Clinton in 1992:
"The people have spoken and we respect the majesty of the democratic system."
After losing the Supreme Court case in the disputed 2000 election, Al Gore emphasized that while he "strongly disagreed with the court's decision" he accepted their decision completely. He then added:
"I also accept my responsibility, which I will discharge unconditionally, to honor the new president elect and do everything possible to help him bring Americans together."
And John McCain, after losing to Barack Obama in 2008, accepted his defeat with grace:
"Tonight, more than any night, I hold in my heart nothing but love for this country and for all its citizens. I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president."
Concession speeches are about bringing people together. Even if a candidate is defeated, they know at the end of the day, the most important thing is for the country to remain united.
Unfortunately, this year Donald Trump appears to be bypassing this American tradition. In the final presidential debate, Republican candidate Donald Trump stated that he would not necessarily accept the results of the election. Rather, he stated, "What I'm saying now is I will tell you at the time. I will keep you in suspense, OK?" This comment immediately became the most highlighted moment of the debate.
Clinton immediately jumped on this comment during the debate, calling this comment "horrifying" as well as "troubling." She went on to respond:
"This is not the way our democracy works. We've been around for two hundred and forty years. We have had free and fair elections. We have accepted the outcomes when we may not have liked them. And that is what must be expected of anyone standing on the debate stage during a general election."
Prior to the debate, Trump's VP candidate Mike Pence told the press, "We will absolutely accept the results of the election." Trump then undermined him with continued talk about a "rigged election" and his statement above. After the debate, Trump emphasized his controversial response, instead saying "I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election ... if I win."
This powerful statement comes after a long week of the Trump campaign reinforcing the idea of a "rigged election." That is, if Trump does not win, it is because of a corrupt system working against him, not by having fewer votes. Calling the election rigged implies that people's votes do not matter. Their vote does not count. That is dangerous talk in a representative democracy. It is a clear tactic to depress voter turnout and sway election results in Trump's favor.
VP Candidate Tim Kaine responded critically to Trump's refusal to accept election results:
"I'm not sure anybody can believe it. That moment would not have been as big a moment last night had Donald Trump not spent the last few weeks going around saying that the election is rigged against him. And when Donald says that, he's basically, after a campaign of attacking virtually every group he can attack now, he's attacking a central pillar of our democracy — that we run fair elections, that we accept the outcome of elections and then that we have a peaceful transfer of power."
Conceding defeat is a mark of good character. It is a gesture that shows that the voters' voices win out. For our country's democratic system to work, we need to believe in it.
