From Jimmy Carter to Kamala Harris: A Legacy of Defeated Candidates at Inaugurations

Jan 14, 2025 Komal Das

In January 1981, Jimmy Carter acknowledged Ronald Reagan, who thanked him for his help after defeating him in November's election

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Twenty years earlier, after a close race, Richard Nixon shook John F. Kennedy's hand and offered words of encouragement

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The U.S. tradition of defeated candidates attending inaugurations will resume with Vice President Kamala Harris on Jan. 20 after an eight-year break

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Donald Trump is the only defeated candidate to skip an inauguration, leaving for Florida after trying to overturn his loss with false fraud claims

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Trump will stand on the Capitol’s west steps for his second-term swearing-in, with Harris watching. Below are examples of losing candidates in a rite Reagan called "a miracle"

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2001: Al Gore and George W. Bush In 2001, Al Gore conceded to George W. Bush and joined him at the Capitol swearing-in, accepting the outcome and symbolizing governance continuity

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2017: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Hillary Clinton, crushed by her 2016 loss to Trump, called Inauguration Day "one of the hardest days" but attended out of duty as former first lady

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2021: Mike Pence (with Trump absent) and Joe Biden Trump claimed fraud in his loss to Biden, while Mike Pence privately met Biden and escorted Harris out, receiving appreciation from both parties

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1993: George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton Bush attended the Capitol's west steps three times, including in 1993 after losing to Bill Clinton, and later returned in 2001 as George W. Bush's father

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1961: Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy After losing in 1960, Nixon congratulated Kennedy and became president in 1968, resigning after Watergate in 1974

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1933: Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt Hoover served one term before losing to FDR but attended several more inaugurations, including Eisenhower's, over the next 31 years

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1897: Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison Cleveland lost in 1888 but held Harrison's umbrella at the 1889 inauguration. He served two non-consecutive terms, later matched by Trump in 2020

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