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    • Trump wins the 2024 election. Will Democrats accept Harris' loss?
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    Trump wins the 2024 election. Will Democrats accept Harris' loss?

    Kathleen William Posted on

    The Democratic Party can only blame itself for the outcome of this election. A stronger and more thoroughly vetted candidate than Kamala Harris could probably have defeated Donald Trump.

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    I will never forget the shock I felt late on Election Day 2016 when it looked like Donald Trump would win a resounding victory over Hillary Clinton.

    In the early hours of the next day, it became clear that Trump had sealed the deal.

    And now he's done it again.

    Kudos to the President for his victory.

    While I have concerns about how Trump will begin his second term, including whether he will be able to assemble a strong Cabinet and top-notch advisers, I have an even more pressing concern:

    Whether Democrats will accept the results of this election and come to terms with Trump as president.

    Democrats have spent the last few years lecturing the rest of the country about how Republicans cannot be trusted to preserve our constitutional republic. During the election campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris used alarmist rhetoric, calling Trump a fascist and a threat to democracy.

    What happened on January 6, 2021 was a dark day in American history, and I hope it doesn't happen again. Trump's inability to concede defeat in 2020 fueled election conspiracies and ultimately led to violence in our nation's Capitol.

    Now it will be extremely telling how the Democrats deal with their loss.

    Opinion: Where has the joy gone? Harris foregoes cheerful mood because he is stoking fear of Trump.

    It's time for Democrats to prove they believe in elections

    Liberals and their allies in the legacy news media have made the message clear that our elections are safe and secure and that there is no widespread voter fraud in U.S. elections.

    That also applies this time.

    But let's be honest. Trump derangement syndrome is real and the left despises Trump like no other.

    Recall that shortly after Trump's victory eight years ago, the “resistance movement” immediately began. Cries of “not my president” were widespread.

    Opinion: I am not a MAGA conservative. Hypocritical liberals make me want to vote for Trump.

    Trump's opponents immediately plotted how to weaken him before he even took office, and allegations of collusion with Russia – a claim that turned out to be false – overshadowed Trump's entire presidency.

    Clinton also raised the specter of the 2016 election as “illegitimate” and made her look like a sore loser.

    The Women's March on Washington, where participants wore their little pink hats, was all about protesting a president who won fair and square. They just couldn't stand him.

    Will they accept Trump as their president this time, especially after January 6 and now that he is a convicted felon?

    Doubtful.

    If Democrats are appalled by the results, they should blame themselves

    The Democratic Party can only blame itself for the outcome of this election. A stronger and more thoroughly vetted candidate likely could have beaten Trump.

    President Joe Biden didn't realize he wasn't up to a second term, and Democrats took too long to convince him to drop out of the race. They also betrayed the country's trust by trying to hide Biden's true condition.

    Their own deception prevented the Democrats from holding a real primary and giving candidates a chance to run for the job.

    Rather, Harris was anointed as the chosen one – without anyone else's input.

    Harris, a wildly unpopular and ineffective vice president, proved to be a terrible choice as she was unable to articulate her vision for the country and how she would differ from Biden.

    Her only selling point was that she was not Biden and not Trump.

    In the end it wasn't enough.

    Instead of further stoking division, Harris and the rest of the party should help progressives come to terms with their defeat.

    Trump can only stay in office for four more years. Democrats can take comfort in that.

    Ingrid Jacques is a columnist for USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques

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