Former President Donald Trump has recently made statements acknowledging his loss in the 2020 presidential election, marking a significant departure from his long-held stance that the election was stolen.
In a podcast interview with Russian-American computer scientist Lex Fridman, Trump stated, “I lost by a whisker.” This comment was echoed at a Moms for Liberty conference, where Trump said that President Joe Biden “beat us by a whisker.” However, he quickly followed this admission with an unsubstantiated claim that Democrats “used Covid to cheat.”
These recent statements represent a notable shift in Trump’s rhetoric surrounding the 2020 election. For nearly four years, the former president has staunchly denied the reality of his defeat, propagating what has become known as the “big lie” – the false claim that the election was stolen from him. This narrative has been a cornerstone of Trump’s political messaging since leaving office and has had far-reaching consequences, including fueling the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Despite Trump’s acknowledgment of losing the election, it’s important to note that the race was not as close as his “whisker” analogy might suggest. Official election results show that Biden won 306 electoral votes to Trump’s 232. In the popular vote, Biden received over 7 million more votes than Trump, a significant margin by historical standards.
Trump’s recent comments come from ongoing legal challenges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. The federal government has indicted the former president for his alleged attempts to interfere with the election process. In Georgia, Trump faces criminal charges for his efforts to change the state’s election outcome.
Legal experts suggest that Trump’s public acknowledgment of his loss could affect his defense in these cases. The admission contradicts any potential argument that Trump was “duped or irrational” and genuinely believed the election was stolen. Instead, it may support the prosecution’s contention that Trump was aware of his defeat but pursued a “calculated and deliberate plan” to overturn the results.
Trump’s allies have reportedly urged him to move on from relitigating the 2020 election and focus on a more forward-looking message. However, the former president has shown little interest in changing his approach. He continues to praise and promise pardons to the individuals who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, referring to them as “patriots.”
Recent polling suggests that election denialism is not popular among the general public. An ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 81% of Americans are prepared to accept the results of the upcoming election, regardless of the outcome. This includes 92% of supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris and 76% of Trump supporters. The same poll indicated that 68% of Americans believe Harris will accept the election outcome, and only 29% believe Trump will do the same.
As the 2024 presidential race approaches, Trump’s evolving rhetoric on the 2020 election will likely continue to be a topic of discussion. Whether his recent acknowledgments of defeat will lead to a broader shift in his messaging or impact his legal challenges remains to be seen.