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Journalism of Courage
Conceding her defeat in the 2024 presidential elections in America, Democrat Kamala Harris delivered a speech at her alma mater, Howard University, on Thursday. She highlighted the divisions faced by America but also emphasised the peaceful transfer of power. In an apparent dig at the winner, Donald Trump, she said, “I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time, but for the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case.”
Presidential campaigns have become theatrical performances, with the public concession serving as a defining moment of closure. Although US law does not mandate that the losing candidate in a presidential election must concede, the practice originated as a simple act of courtesy. This tradition began with a telegram sent by William Jennings Bryan to his rival, William McKinley, two days after the 1896 election.
In Lincoln, Nebraska, Bryan wrote on November 5,1896, “Hon. Wm. McKinley, Canton, Ohio: Senator Jones has just informed me that the returns indicate your election, and I hasten to extend my congratulations. We have submitted the issue to the American people, and their will is law.”
These two sentences are recognised as the first public concession in US presidential history, setting a precedent that has been followed, in various forms, in every election since. Over the last 120 years, there have been a total of 32 concession speeches. Most have included a statement of defeat, a call to unite, a vow to continue working for the American people, and an acknowledgement of the democratic process.
No article on concession speeches can begin without mentioning the events that followed Trump’s victory in 2016 and his defeat in 2020.
While there have been contested and often bitter elections in American history, arguably none have reached the heights of the 2016 election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. From the very beginning, Trump made it clear that he would not play by the traditional rules of civility and concerns that he would not accept the election results were widespread. However, Trump won the electoral college and in a mark of humility observed by every candidate since 1896, Clinton conceded defeat and expressed hope that Trump’s presidency would be a successful one.
In her remarks, Clinton said that while she was disappointed and concerned by the divisions within the country, “Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and a chance to lead.”
In 2020, when Trump lost to Joe Biden, his reaction was markedly different. Claiming election fraud, Trump refused to concede defeat and urged his Vice-President Mike Pence not to certify the vote. Pence refused and on the day the election was set to be certified by the senate, Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol. Since 2020, Trump has repeated claims that the election was stolen from him, making that a crucial part of his campaign. He has also claimed that were Kamala Harris to win in 2024, it would only be through cheating. Trump and J D Vance have both refused to rule out not accepting this election result.
While no other candidate has been accused of subverting democracy to the extent Trump has, there have been certain concession speeches that were less gracious than others.
In 1924, longtime Republican Robert M LaFollette decided to create his own political party. His Progressive Party secured the support of leftist and labour leaning groups, seriously challenging his former Republican ally, Calvin Coolidge. Upon losing the election in a landslide, he said, “The American people have chosen to retain in power the reactionary Republican administration with its record of corruption and subservience to the dictates of organised monopoly.”
Republican Richard Nixon is no stranger to elections, having stood for the presidency three times and the vice-presidency once, among other political offices. When he lost the 1960 presidential election to Democrat John F Kennedy, Nixon was humble. “One of the great features of America is that we have political contests. That they are very hard fought, as this one was hard fought, and once the decision is made we unite behind the man who is elected,” he said.
However, when he lost his race as California governor two years later, his remarks were notably bitter. Speaking to reporters, he said, “Just think how much you’re going to be missing—you don’t have Nixon to kick around anymore. Because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference.”
Most people would not have heard of William Jennings Bryan but the career politician made many attempts to secure the presidency. Once he was denied the nomination by his Democratic Party, and he lost as a national candidate twice to William McKinley and once to William Howard Taft. During his last electoral defeat in 1908, Bryan said, “The election has gone against us by a decisive majority.”
Another candidate who may elicit some sympathy is Al Gore. During the 2000 election, George Bush won after taking Florida by just 537 votes, prompting a recount and a Supreme Court intervention. On election night, Al Gore famously called Bush to concede defeat. However, upon hearing how close the election was, he called him again and said he would continue to stay in the race. After the Supreme Court halted the recount and essentially handed Bush the presidency, Gore addressed his supporters. “I spoke with George W Bush and congratulated him on becoming the 43rd president of the United States,” he said, “and I promised him that I wouldn’t call him back this time.”
Then there is Walter Mondale. In 1980, he was chosen to be Jimmy Carter’s vice-presidential nominee against a Republican ticket of Ronald Reagan and George H W Bush. Carter and Mondale decisively lost the election but as the then vice-president, Mondale was responsible for certifying the election in front of Congress. In a memorable moment, he recounted the vote tallies. “George Bush of the state of Texas has received 489 votes. Walter F Mondale of Minnesota,” he added with a grin, “has received 49 votes.”
In 1984, Mondale won his party’s nomination for president only to lose the general election to Reagan in the greatest defeat ever faced by the Democratic Party, and second largest defeat in American history. He won only the District of Columbia and his home state of Minnesota (the latter only by 3,800 votes.) In his concession speech, he expressed disappointment, but said he “was at peace with the knowledge that I gave it everything I had got”.
In the history of presidential concession speeches, Republican John McCain stands in a league of his own. After a hard-fought campaign against Barack Obama in 2008, the veteran politician was forced to admit defeat. Despite the crowd in Phoenix jeering at him, McCain was steadfast in his congratulations. He said, “I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president.” Acknowledging the death of Obama’s grandmother the day before, he added, “I offer him my sincere sympathy that his beloved grandmother did not live to see this day. Though our faith assures us she is at rest in the presence of her creator and so very proud of the good man she helped raise.”
For his part, Obama would return the favour at McCain’s funeral, one that he was invited to speak at by his former opponent in the months leading up to his death. He said, “That’s perhaps how we honour him best, by recognising that there are some things bigger than party or ambition or money or fame or power, that the things that are worth risking everything for, principles that are eternal, truths that are abiding. At his best, John showed us what that means. For that, we are all deeply in his debt.”
