It is often said that while anyone can be a gracious winner, you can tell much more about a person’s character by their ability to be a gracious loser. President Donald Trump’s behavior in refusing to accept his loss, and falsely claiming he won in the absence of any evidence of systemic fraud, is shocking but not surprising.
What is surprising and profoundly disappointing is how many Republican leaders have refused to admit the results and congratulate President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Kudos to Sen. Mitt Romney, and a precious few other high-level Republicans, for showing grace and dignity in respecting the results of our democratic process. As for the rest of them, their refusal to admit the president’s defeat is curious, given that he shows no loyalty to them or anyone else, to our institutions or to norms of civilized behavior.
The world is watching, and is not impressed.
Ira Rubinfeld, Salt Lake City