Opinion | Trump won’t vanish after election loss
November 11, 2020
The 2016 presidential election left millions of Americans shocked and uncertain of the future as businessman Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States and spent four years in the White House. Last week, former Vice President Joe Biden defeated Trump in another nail-biting presidential race. Knowing how outspoken and vocal Trump is, through the means of Twitter, interviews and speeches, he will never go away.
With the election held on Nov. 3, most states in the country declared a winner, but in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the country still didn’t have a president. In key states like Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Wisconsin, millions of mail-in votes were still being counted. On Nov. 7, Biden won in Pennsylvania, thus securing him enough electoral votes to win the presidency. But Trump wasn’t left speechless.
He took to Twitter and an even a post-election speech about voter fraud and sent in his own legal to investigate. In the days ahead, who knows what’s to come, but in many ways, this election will leave a lasting impression. As for Trump, he’ll still be talking.
In the last four years during his presidency, Trump has dominated the news cycle in some way or another. Almost every day of his term, he used his Twitter account in outspoken rants against Democrats, the media and so much more. He was a president who enjoyed being in the spotlight.
As of late, Trump has not conceded the election. In many ways, he probably believes he can still win, which is highly unlikely. In reality, there seems to be no open path anymore for him winning a second term. All of his life, during his 2016 campaign and throughout his presidency, Trump has always been a staunch supporter of winning. But it doesn’t look like he’ll win this time.
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In post-presidential history, presidents have done numerous things to keep themselves busy and sometimes out of the political spotlight. Jimmy Carter has spent his post-White House years writing a great number of books and serving as a humanitarian through his Carter Center. George W. Bush took up painting as a side hobby. Bill Clinton even wrote a political thriller with author James Patterson. These presidents and many others in the past have been vocal about their predecessors, but not to the extent of what Trump is probably going to be.
As many Trump supporters and voters are upset, angry or confused about his loss, I’m taking it all in with a grain of salt. Yes, as I’m zero for one in presidential voting, Trump’s loss bothers me, but as a civil and mature person, it’s all going to be okay.
I’m welcoming Biden and his Vice President — the first female elected to the office — Kamala Harris’s win with open arms. It’s all part of democracy. Even though their ticket came out on top, there are still more elections in the future to chance the course of the political world.
As for Trump, who knows if or when he will accept his loss or it’ll all hit him that he won’t be president anymore, but there’s one thing for sure: Americans haven’t heard the last of Trump.
Noah is a junior in the College of Media.