15 times Republicans said recounts are for 'losers'

Donald Trump and his campaign are calling for recounts in Wisconsin and Georgia, with hopes that another count of the votes will overturn the results of the election Trump badly lost to President-elect Joe Biden.

But experts, and even some Republican politicians, agree the margins in those states are too large for a recount to change things. Biden now leads by 20,539 votes in Wisconsin, and 14,112 votes in Georgia, according to the New York Times.

Even if those states did flip to Trump — which they won’t — Biden would still have more than the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win, given his large leads in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Nevada.

Nevertheless, the Trump campaign is pushing for these recounts as they baselessly allege widespread voter fraud to explain away Trump’s humiliating defeat.

Just four short years ago, however, Trump and the GOP were decidedly against recounts.

In 2016, when Hillary Clinton lost the election by a slimmer margin than Trump is, Trump and his allies called people seeking recounts “sore losers” who couldn’t come to terms with the fact that he won.

Here are 15 Republicans who have condemned recounts and attacked Democrats for not accepting the results of an election:

Donald Trump

Back in 2016, when Green Party nominee Jill Stein was raising money for recounts in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, Trump condemned the effort.

“The Green Party scam to fill up their coffers by asking for impossible recounts is now being joined by the badly defeated & demoralized Dems,” Trump tweeted on Nov. 26, 2016. 

In 2020, however, Trump’s campaign manager, Bill Stepien, said in a statement one day after the election that Trump “is well within his rights to request a recount and we will immediately do so” — a complete 180 from Trump’s previous position.

Ronna McDaniel

In 2016, when she served as chair of the Michigan Republican Party, Ronna McDaniel slammed the Jill Stein-led recounts of the state.

“Hillary Clinton should denounce this reckless recount and accept the outcome of the election like she hoped others would had she won,” McDaniel, tweeted in November 2016. 

“There is no reason for a recount. It is a waste of time and disrespectful to all Michigan voters,” McDaniel tweeted on Nov. 28, 2016.

“It is time that the Democrats join Republicans in calling for an end to this wasteful and ridiculous recount,” McDaniel tweeted again in December 2016.

Following the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election, in which Stacy Abrams lost to current GOP Gov. Brian Kemp, McDaniel slammed Abrams for not accepting the results.

“If Stacey Abrams actually cared about the integrity of elections, she’d concede the Georgia governor’s race that she lost by 55,000 votes. Instead she’s on national TV today still thinking she won,” McDaniel tweeted. “Completely ridiculous.”

Four years later, McDaniel, who is now chair of the Republican National Committee, is backing up Trump’s calls for recounts, as well as Trump’s riduclous assertion that he won the election.

“The American people deserve to have faith in our elections. That’s why the RNC is going to pursue this process to the very end,” McDaniel tweeted late Tuesday night.

Kellyanne Conway

The now-former White House counselor tweeted in November 2016: “Look who ‘can’t accept the election results,'” linking to a New York Times article with the headline, “Hillary Clinton Supporters Call for Vote Recount in Battleground States.”

Sarah Huckabee Sanders

The now-former White House press secretary said in 2016 that Trump’s margins in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania were too large for a recount to overturn.

“Biggest change ever in a recount: 1,247 votes in FL (Bush vs. Gore). In MI, WI, & PA @realDonaldTrump leads by 10,000+ votes. It’s over,” she tweeted at the time. 

She is not saying the same in 2020, as Trump is losing those states by much larger margins.

“The people — not the media — get to decide the winner of elections,” she tweeted on Nov. 7. “After every legal vote is counted, fraud is investigated and recounts are completed we can declare a winner. Our country and our democracy demand we have confidence in the accuracy of the results.”

Reince Priebus

In 2016, then the Republican National Committee chair and slated to be Trump’s first of many chiefs of staff, condemned the Stein-led recounts.

“It is a total and complete hypocritical joke that the group of people that thought that they were nervous about President-elect Trump not conceding are the people that are conducting recounts in states where we won by over 68,000 votes,” Priebus said on “Fox News Sunday” in November 2016.

Four years later, Priebus went on CBS News to defend Trump’s decision not to concede, despite the fact that he lost.

Sean Spicer

The former White House press secretary mocked the “left” for not accepting the 2016 results.

“1st left loses on Election Day, then fund failed recount efforts, now target #ElectoralCollege where @HillaryClinton loses votes; keep it up,” Spicer tweeted in December 2016. 

In 2020, Spicer did not similarly condemn the Trump campaign’s behavior as he teased an appearance on right-wing outlet Newsmax.

“Tune into @newsmax for updates on #Election2020 @SchmittNYC anchoring coverage. Newsmax has not called the race for Biden because of pending recounts, legal challenges from @POTUS @RealDonaldTrump,” Spicer tweeted on Nov. 7.

Katrina Pierson

In 2016, Trump campaign spokesperson Katrina Pierson called the recount effort by Stein “ridiculousness.”

“A generation of sore losers whines for a do-over,” Pierson tweeted in November 2016.

In 2020, Pierson, who serves as an adviser to Trump’s current campaign, is refusing to accept a Trump loss.

“TRUTH WILL COME TO LIGHT!” Pierson tweeted on Monday in response to a “Team Trump” tweet that said “this election is far from over” when, in fact, it is over and Trump lost.

“Neither Jack nor Zuckerberg can stop it!” Pierson added.

Lou Dobbs

The Fox Business host, who uses his show to obsessively praise Trump, said Hillary Clinton should have been prosecuted for the 2016 recount — which Clinton’s team did not ask for.

“I Sure Hope @realDonaldTrump Changes His Mind About Prosecuting Hillary Clinton After She Changed Her Mind About Recount #MAGA #AmericaFirst,” Dobbs tweeted in November 2016. 

In 2020, Dobbs is pushing the false hope that Trump’s loss in Georgia will be overturned, saying it is “premature” for Biden to declare victory.

Jeanine Pirro

Fox News host Jeanine Pirro said Hillary Clinton was mentally ill in 2016 for wanting a recount — even though Clinton did not lead the recount effort.

“Now Hillary Clinton wants a recount. Is she schizo?!?” Pirro said in a November 2016 tweet that bizarrely had a photo of Pirro in a pink visor smiling. 

In 2020, Pirro is demanding action to help overturn the will of the voters and make Trump the winner.

“Time to stand up for our constitution our president and our way of life #PromisesMadePromisesKept #OurVoteIsPower,” Pirro tweeted on Nov. 5.

Kayleigh McEnany

In 2018, Kayleigh McEnany, who then served as a Republican National Committee spokesperson, bashed Democrats, who she claimed did not accept the results of the Georgia governor’s race.

“Democrats are being sore losers, and they refuse to acknowledge they lost the election, so what do they do? They cry malfeasance, wrongdoing, criminality, fraud,” McEnany said on Fox News at the time, according to a compilation video from “The Daily Show.”

In 2020, after Trump’s loss, McEnany and the GOP are exhibiting the exact same behavior she accused Democrats of four years ago.

Newt Gingrich

In 2018, Gingrich said on Fox News that, “A whole series of Democrats have just said, bluntly, if our candidate doesn’t win, they stole the election.”

In 2020, Gingrich went on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show to call for poll workers to be arrested because they counted ballots in a race that Trump lost.

“My hope is that President Trump will lead the millions of Americans who understand exactly what’s going on. The Philadelphia machine is corrupt. The machine in Atlanta, Detroit is corrupt And they are trying to steal the presidency and we should not allow them to do that,” Gingrich said, while asking Attorney General Bill Barr to “lock up” poll workers.

Laura Ingraham

After the 2018 midterms, Ingraham said on her Fox News show that, “Democrats, more so than Republicans, seem to have a problem conceding defeat. Either the election system broke down, or some mystery votes are hiding somewhere.”

In 2020, Ingraham is pushing the baseless lie that there were illegal votes that call the results of the election into question.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.