The presidential election in 2000 was contested between Republican Texas Governor George W. Bush and Democratic Vice President Al Gore. Bush became the president despite Vice President Gore winning the popular vote. The results of the Electoral College were not clear at the time and remain contested. Bush won Florida’s electoral votes by such a close margin that a recount was required. A series of legal battles led to the very controversial Supreme Court decision in Bush v. Gore, which ended the recount, giving the victory to George W. Bush. On December 13, 2000 Al Gore conceded the election and congratulated George W. Bush on his victory. Citing an earlier acrimonious election, Gore quotes Senator Stephen Douglas’ concession to Abraham Lincoln: “Partisan feeling must yield to patriotism.” Gore’s language is clear and strong. Although he strongly disagreed with the court’s decision, he affirmed his acceptance of it and said, “for the sake of our unity as a people and the strength of our democracy, I offer my concession. 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.” Despite Gore’s credible and valid concerns about the process that awarded the presidency to Bush, he conceded the victory in order to preserve American democracy and the institutions that uphold it.

On the other hand, in the election of 2020, Donald Trump did not have legitimate reason to believe that he had won the election. Despite this, he persisted in claiming that the election was stolen, including filing (and losing) many lawsuits. During the recent vice presidential debate, JD Vance, Trump’s new running mate, again refused to say whether Trump lost the previous race. The speech that comes closest to a concession for Trump has some lines that seem similar to Gore’s from twenty years earlier. However, at no point does the former president actually say that he lost the election or that he is conceding. He merely says that a “new administration will be inaugurated.” He frames his challenges to the election as an attempt to “ensure the integrity of the vote” and to fight “to defend American democracy.” However, in doing so, he potentially encouraged, or at least failed to condemn, political violence against the institutions that make up American democracy.

Sources

E. J. Dionne and William Kristol, “Chronology,” eds. Bush v. Gore: The Court Cases and the Commentary (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2001), http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7864/j.ctvddztfj.

E. J. Dionne and William Kristol, “Introduction,” eds. Bush v. Gore: The Court Cases and the Commentary (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2001), http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7864/j.ctvddztfj.