Following Trump’s latest indictment, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy likened the charges Trump is facing (which include allegations of attempts to overturn the 2020 election result) to the actions of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee after both the 2000 and 2016 elections.
“I can say the same thing that Hillary Clinton says about her election that she lost,” McCarthy said Thursday. “I can say the same thing about the DNC, who said it about the 2016 race. I can say the same thing about those in the Democratic party from the leadership on down about George Bush not winning—that Al Gore did.”
Apparently McCarthy thinks former president Trump’s violent insurrection and attempts to undermine the electoral process was just as bad as Hillary Clinton’s reaction to losing the election.
Which is odd, considering McCarthy’s initial reaction to the Jan. 6 insurrection: “This is so un-American. I condemn any of this violence. I could not be sadder or more disappointed with the way our country looks right now. People are getting hurt. Anyone involved in this, if you’re hearing me, hear me loud and clear: This is not the American way. This is not protected by the First Amendment. This must stop now.”
McCarthy has since changed his public stance on the events at the Capitol, proving that he cares more about defending the GOP and his tenuous position in its leadership than he does the Constitution.
Either way, it is clear that no one reacts to losing an election quite like Trump did.
By contrast, here’s an excerpt from former vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine’s 2016 concession speech:
“Nobody—nobody had to wonder about Hillary Clinton, whether she would accept an outcome of an election in our beautiful democracy. Nobody had to ask that question. Nobody had to doubt it.”
And here’s an excerpt from Clinton’s concession:
“Last night, I congratulated Donald Trump and offered to work with him on behalf of our country. I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans. This is not the outcome we wanted or we worked so hard for and I’m sorry that we did not win this election for the values we share and the vision we hold for our country.
“But I feel pride and gratitude for this wonderful campaign that we built together, this vast, diverse, creative, unruly, energized campaign. You represent the best of America and being your candidate has been one of the greatest honors of my life.”
Yes, Al Gore did contest the results of the egregiously stolen 2000 presidential election. He did so via the legal pathways available to him and when he did eventually concede (something Trump still has not done!), his concession speech went down in history for its grace and humor:
“Just moments ago, I spoke with George W. Bush and congratulated him on becoming the 43rd president of the United States. And I promised him that I wouldn’t call him back this time. I offered to meet with him as soon as possible so we can start to heal the divisions of the campaign and the contest through which we’ve just passed.”
Trump, by contrast, did not make a concession speech when now-President Joe Biden was declared the 2020 electoral winner. His reaction to losing the election has also gone down in history—so much so that he is now facing four felony charges for his reaction. For those keeping score, this brings his total felony charge list to 78.
In claiming that Clinton, Gore, and the DNC reacted similarly to their respective electoral losses, McCarthy aims to completely undermine the unprecedented and deeply illegal events spurred on by Trump following his loss at the polls three years ago.
(featured image: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
