Trump to Bush Sr: 11 US Presidents who lost re-election bid

BusinessToday.In

Nov 10, 2020,
Updated Nov 10, 2020 10:29 AM IST

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Democrat Joe Biden has won the US elections and is set to become the 46th president of the United States. While incumbent presidents have enjoyed popularity in re-elections, Donald Trump has not been successful to win hearts of the voters. But this isn't the first time that a US president couldn't secure a second term:-Anshika Awasthi

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John Adams (1797-1801)
A remarkable political philosopher, John Adams, served as the second President of the US after serving as the first Vice-President under President George Washington.
Adams failed to win a second term in the 1800 election against Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican.He, however, wanted to remain President but accepted the results and stepped down. Also, the election marked the first peaceful transfer of power between members of two political parties.It is also said that the reason for his fall as President in re-election was because he signed the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts - which gave the government authority to punish critics and deport foreign-born residents.

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John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)John Quincy Adams lost to Andrew Jackson (seventh President of the United States), badly, in 1828 re-election.The story is different for John Quincy Adams. He became President even though it was Jackson who received the most electoral votes. When no candidate won the majority of votes, the House of Representatives decided to elect Adams. Adams had to, later on, take the brunt and was fiercely opposed by the supporters of Jackson (Jacksonians).

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Martin Van BurenMartin van Buren lost to William Henry Harrison in 1840 elections. The reason he couldn't make it to re-election was because of the financial crisis that started ballooning during that time. His expensive war with the Seminole Indians in Florida made matters worse and he finally lost by a landslide in 1840 re-elections. Van Buren won a mere 60 electoral votes against Harrison, who won 234 electoral votes.

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Grover Cleveland (1885-1889)Grover Cleveland lost to Benjamin Harrison in the election of 1888.Despite winning the popular vote by more than 100,000 votes, Cleveland lost to Harrison. It happened for the second time in US history that despite losing on the popular vote, the candidate won the presidency.Cleveland won the 1892 re-election, defeating Harrison. Cleveland, however, is still counted as the incumbent presidents who won the party nomination but lost re-election.

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Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)
Despite losing the popular vote, Benjamin Harrison defeated Grover Cleveland in the 1888 election. But it was due to Harrison's support for the higher tariffs and higher federal spending which made him highly unpopular and ultimately led to his failure.

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William Howard Taft (1909-1913)William Howard Taft joined the list of incumbent presidents who didn't win re-elections by losing to Woodrow Wilson in the 1912 election. Taft sustained humiliating defeat from both Wilson and President Teddy Roosevelt. All was not over for Taft as he, later on, became the Chief Justice of the US.

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Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)Herbert Hoover lost to Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1932 election. Hoover, who was the President at the time of Great Depression, failed to address the economic crisis. Roosevelt defeated Hoover in a landslide victory by winning the popular vote by more than seven million. Hoover received 59 electoral votes against Roosevelt, who earned 472.

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Gerald Ford (1974-1977)Gerald Ford lost to Jimmy Carter in the 1976 election. Ford is the first unelected president in US history. Ford, in fact, became commander-in-chief after President Richard Nixon resigned due to impeachment he faced over the Watergate scandal. During the period of his short-lived presidency, Ford faced major economic and energy challenges.He was defeated later on by Carter, who earned 297 electoral votes to Ford's 240.

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Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)Jimmy Carter lost to Ronald Reagan in the 1980 elections owing to the fact that he failed to address the economic crisis back then and also struggled to get things right. Not just this, he also faced one of the biggest known international crises for the US in the modern era, which was, the Iranian hostage crisis. Carter's mishandling of the hostage crisis is said to be the reason he lost in a landslide to Reagan in the 1980 election.He was also awarded the Nobel Prize in 2002.

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George H.W Bush (1989-1993)George H.W. Bush was defeated by Bill Clinton in the 1992 election. Bush was also a former vice-president and an ex-CIA director. The economic crisis is said to be the reason he couldn't make it to the re-elections.Despite guiding the US through several global events, such as the collapse of the Soviet Union, Bush couldn't attract the support which was needed to combat Bill Clinton.Bush, however, is known to be the most recent president who won party nomination but failed to be re-elected president of the US.