On October 26, 2024, former president and current Republican candidate Donald Trump was a guest on Joe Rogan’s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.
Beyond conversations about topics like if the former president believed in extraterrestrial life (which he said he didn’t), the conversation took a familiar turn when Trump repeated the same baseless claim he’s held for nearly four years—that he didn’t lose the 2020 election.
This isn’t a new stance for the Republican candidate.
We’ve seen Trump refuse to acknowledge his loss before—cough cough January 6.
Recently, Trump’s vice-presidential nominee, JD Vance, echoed similar sentiments when, during his debate with Tim Waltz, he declined to openly acknowledge Trump’s loss in the 2020 election.
All of this blatant denial isn’t just a concerning, dangerous stance; it’s also, above all, a profoundly anti-American one.
To refuse to accept the election results undermines public trust in our electoral system—and without public confidence in our processes, society risks breeding the type of tension that leads to events like that of the January 6 riot—and perhaps even worse.
For a nation to function, its leaders and citizens must respect its foundational principles—especially that of peaceful transitions of power.
The American way relies on honoring the institutions and processes, and when a leader such as Trump, who has a big influence over millions, undermines these principles, it’s not just harmful; it also goes in direct conflict with the values that define America.
