CHARLESTON, WV - AUGUST 21: President Donald Trump speaks at a rally on August 21, 2018 in Charleston, West Virginia. Paul Manafort, a former campaign manager for Trump and a longtime political operative, was found guilty in a Washington court today of not paying taxes on more than $16 million in income and lying to banks where he was seeking loans. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

‘Why would I do that?’: Trump blatantly refused to admit 2020 defeat

Donald Trump has repeatedly refused to believe that he lost the 2020 presidential election, oftentimes accusing Democrats of “stealing” the election from him. Even after his 2024 presidential election victory, Trump refuses to acknowledge his loss.

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During his Meet the Press interview with Kristen Welker from NBC, he asked Trump if he would concede the 2020 election. She contextualized her question under the divided backdrop of a deeply divided United States. “For the sake of unifying this country, will you concede the 2020 election and turn the page on that chapter?” 

Trump unflinchingly responded, “No, why would I do that?” Trump still doesn’t believe that he lost against Biden in 2020. Furthermore, he denies responsibility for the ever-widening political schism among Americans. Instead, he blames current President Joe Biden for being divisive.

“He weaponized the Justice Department and went after his political opponent, me.” In addition to this claim, Trump believed that Biden probed against him so that he could win against Trump. Essentially, Trump was reinforcing that he did not lose the 2020 elections. Welker clarified and told Trump, “Sir, Democrats have control of the White House now. They didn’t in 2020. If they’re going around stealing elections, so why didn’t they steal this election?”

Classically, Trump reiterated his infamous four-word answer: “Too big to rig.”

Averse to admitting defeat

Trump has a lengthy history of denying election results, especially if they aren’t in favor of him. He has frequently raised unfounded suspicions of voter fraud and illegal voting during the 2020 election. He also stubbornly claimed that the only way he’d lose is if the election was rigged against him by Democrats. To Trump’s hardcore MAGA loyalists, these assertions are facts, which would later lead to the Capitol Attack on January 6, 2021. Now in 2024, Trump is peddling the same idea: that he never lost against Biden.

It doesn’t matter that Trump’s opinions are baseless, because there are those who will take him for his word.


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Vanessa Esguerra
Vanessa Esguerra (She/They) has been a Contributing Writer for The Mary Sue since 2023. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy, she (happily) rejected law school in 2021 and has been a full-time content writer since. Vanessa is currently taking her Master's degree in Japanese Studies in hopes of deepening her understanding of the country's media culture in relation to pop culture, women, and queer people like herself. She speaks three languages but still manages to get lost in the subways of Tokyo with her clunky Japanese. Fueled by iced coffee brewed from local cafés in Metro Manila, she also regularly covers anime and video games while queuing for her next match in League of Legends.