Donald Trump Is Not Following Al Gore's Lead By Doubting Election Results

Gore did not “refuse to accept the result on election day” in 2000, nor did he try “to overturn the result of the 2000 election” when he availed himself of the legal apparatus offered to candidates in especially close elections.

Here’s what happened: In a rare historical fluke, the outcome of the Electoral College vote in 2000 hinged on the results in a single state, Florida. And after a roller coaster night of vote counting, in which the major television networks mistakenly called a victory for both Gore and George W. Bush, the margin between the two candidates was microscopic. Roughly one vote out of every 10,000.

This infinitesimal gap triggered an automatic recount. In other words, there was no “result on election day.” Florida law—not Al Gore—sent the game into overtime. And those same Florida election laws allowed for candidates in such a close contest to challenge the tally, which Gore understandably did.