George Bush lamented in 1993 that “losing is never easy — trust me, I know,” after losing to Bill Clinton. Gerald Ford in 1977 allowed for the possibility of a political comeback after being defeated by Jimmy Carter (“This report will be my last — maybe.”) Donald J. Trump was defiant in defeat four years ago, declaring that “we will be back in some form.”
As far back as the 18th century — when George Washington warned the young republic of the dangers of partisanship and called for national unity — presidents have used their twilight days in office to reflect on their records and accomplishments, pleading for the nation to build on their legacies for generations to come.
That parting message has been at times complicated by the outgoing commander in chief being succeeded by a political rival — especially when being beaten out of a second term.
The challenge President Biden navigated Wednesday night was similarly delicate, as he highlighted his achievements and reflected on America’s future — even as he hands the reins of government over to Mr. Trump, an adversary whom Mr. Biden has declared a threat to democracy, and who has vowed to undo many of his policies.
Against that backdrop, Johnson gave a final “State of the Union” address to Congress the week before Nixon’s inauguration. In a notably emotional address to the joint session of Congress, Johnson spoke of his efforts to seek a negotiated end to the Vietnam War, and he ticked through an expansive list of legislative accomplishments that he had overseen from the Oval Office, framing the new social programs as “promises to the American people” that must be kept.
“A failure to carry them out,” Johnson said of his legislative agenda, “would be a tragedy for our country.” Much of that legislation, called the Great Society by Johnson, stands today.
Gerald R. Ford hoped for a political comeback.
President Gerald R. Ford holds a peculiar place in the history of the American presidency, and his farewell speech reflects his unique and shortened term in the Oval Office. He is the only person to serve as president without being elected as president or vice president, as he was appointed to the vice presidency by Nixon. He also served the shortest term of any president in the last century — holding office for just two years and five months after Nixon resigned from the presidency in the summer of 1974.
But even as Ford told lawmakers that “I look forward to the status of private citizen with gladness and gratitude,” he did not disguise his hopes for a political redemption and a return to the White House.
“This report will be my last — maybe,” Ford said, inciting uproarious laughter in the chamber, as he departed from his prepared remarks to tease a later run for the presidency. Ford ultimately dropped out of contention for a run in 1980, and backed Ronald Reagan.
George Bush warned against being ‘the world’s policeman.’
Appearing at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point two weeks before Bill Clinton’s inauguration, President George Bush made it clear that his loss to Mr. Clinton had bruised him.
“Losing is never easy. Trust me, I know something about that,” Bush told thousands of Army cadets, who laughed — perhaps a little longer and louder than he was expecting. “But if you have to lose, that’s the way to do it: Fight with all you have. Give it your best shot. And win or lose, learn from it, and get on with life.”
But before he got on, Bush delivered a warning to those future military leaders about the state of global affairs. He had just presided over the end of the Cold War, and shepherded the birth of nations and democratic governments in Eastern Europe as the Soviet Union and its sphere of influence fell apart over the course of his presidency. He had also waged war in Iraq to counter an invasion of neighboring Kuwait.
Declaring that the United States was the world’s sole remaining superpower, Bush urged the country to engage with world crises and “promote a democratic peace.” But he also called for restraint and acting only with the support of allies.
“The United States should not seek to be the world’s policeman,” Bush said. “There is no support abroad or at home for us to play this role, nor should there be. We would exhaust ourselves in the process, wasting precious resources needed to address those problems at home and abroad that we cannot afford to ignore.”
The warning was prescient of the crises that would dominate American foreign policy. Mr. Clinton would preside over muscular military interventions in Haiti and in the Balkans. President George W. Bush, Bush’s son, would go even further in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, launching a second U.S. invasion of Iraq and waging what would become a two-decade conflict in Afghanistan — costing thousands of American lives and trillions of dollars in military spending.
