In the third and final Presidential Debate, Republican nominee, Donald Trump, refused to tell moderator, Chris Wallace, that he would accept the results of the upcoming election on November 8th. Trump has been saying for a while now that he believes that this election is “rigged.” This is not the first time that a major party or a nominee has made such a claim, but the fact that he will contest the results of the election is rather unprecedented. The last time that an election was contested was in 2000, but Democratic nominee, Al Gore actually conceded the election to eventual president, George W. Bush. However, when he heard that the votes in Florida were so close, that a re-count was required by law, he took his concession back. About a month later, when the election was awarded to Bush, he conceded again, through disappointed.  It is usually implied that the losing candidate concedes the election to the victor, to facilitate a peaceful transition of power to the President-elect. Recently, a letter that George H.W. Bush (a Republican) wrote, and left for his successor, Bill Clinton (a Democrat), became public. The letter contained nothing but supporting words for Clinton, further proving the tradition of a peaceful transition.

Many people, including politicians of both parties, have condemned Trump’s actions. Possibly the most notable people that disagree with Trump in terms of his refusal to accept the election results are Kellyanne Conway (his campaign manager), Mike Pence (his running mate), and Ivanka Trump (his daughter). All three people have said, in one way or another, that Trump should accept the results, whether he wins or loses. A notable Republican politician, Lindsey Graham (R-SC), said on Twitter that Trump “is doing the party and country a great disservice” by continuing to suggest that the outcome of this election is “rigged” against him. Perhaps one of Trump’s biggest critics, Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), went on a rant on Twitter after the debate. Some of the highlights were her saying, “Give me a break, @realDonaldTrump. You’re not losing because it’s rigged. You’re losing because we see through your creepy bullying” and “It’s not rigged, @realDonaldTrump. You’re losing fair & square. Put on your big-boy pants because this is what accountability looks like”. While many are not quite as harsh as Sen. Warren, an overwhelming majority of politicians and pundits share her opinion.

There is no doubt that Donald Trump is like no other Presidential Candidate that we have ever seen before, but, at least in the recent past, no other candidate for President of the United States has refused to say that they will accept the results of any election that they were involved in.