Trump signals defeat
![President Trump.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2YnWLY4sFv7UcNkath5uab-415-80.jpg)
On Thursday evening Donald Trump spoke from the White House on the state of the presidential election. Nothing he said gave the impression that he is preparing to concede to Joe Biden, but his actual words were less important than the manner in which they were delivered.
I have spent goodness knows how many hundreds of hours of my life listening to Trump speak. Gone was the boisterousness and sarcasm to which I and millions are accustomed, and never more in evidence than in his address after midnight on Tuesday. On Thursday, he was dejected, world weary, and almost resigned. He has never sounded like this before. The mojo is gone.
Occasionally Trump strayed into incoherence more typical of his opponent. "I've watched a lot of elections before they decided on this big election," he said, leaving millions of us wondering about the referent of the pronoun.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In summarizing his concerns and those of his supporters — about social media, inaccurate pre-election polling, precinct-level shenanigans — he made it clear that he does not expect to win 270 electoral votes, at least not straightforwardly. Instead of narrow last-minute victories in Pennsylvania, he awaits deliverance at the hands of the Supreme Court. It is unclear exactly what legal remedy he believes is forthcoming.
For the first time in modern American history an incumbent has insisted that the apparent results of a presidential election should be discounted. He has done so on the basis of inchoate feelings rather than the sort of hard evidence that would be admissible in any court. For all that, it is hard to escape the feeling that roughly half of the country agrees with him.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Matthew Walther is a national correspondent at The Week. His work has also appeared in First Things, The Spectator of London, The Catholic Herald, National Review, and other publications. He is currently writing a biography of the Rev. Montague Summers. He is also a Robert Novak Journalism Fellow.
-
Today's political cartoons - July 26, 2024
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - campaign donations, yellow buses, and more
By The Week US Published
-
California orders mass dismantling of unhoused people's camps
Speed Read Gavin Newsom's move follows a Supreme Court ruling last month in favor of an Oregon city that ticketed people for sleeping outside
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
7 dreamy products to help you sleep better on vacation
The Week Recommends Don't snooze on these sleep aids
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
ICJ ruling: will 'damning verdict' stop Netanyahu?
Talking Point The UN's top court has ruled Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories breaks international law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
How Biden's enablers may have delayed his bowing out
Talking Points Joe Biden's inner circle faces calls for a reckoning for allegedly shielding the president — and the public — from questions of aging and electoral viability
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The Democrats 'resigned to a second Trump presidency'
Talking Points Did the assassination attempt end Biden's election chances?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Venezuela election: first vote in a decade offers hope to poverty-stricken nation
The Explainer Nicolás Maduro agreed to 'free and fair' vote but poor polling and threat of prosecution pushes disputed leader to desperate methods
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Are down-ticket Democrats doomed?
Talking Points President Joe Biden's refusal to step back from his reelection campaign has some local Democrats wondering if their own races are in trouble — but not everyone is worried
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Tamils stranded on 'secretive' British island in Indian Ocean
Under the Radar Migrants 'unlawfully detained' since 2021 shipwreck on UK-controlled Diego Garcia, site of important US military base
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published