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The results of the presidential election are creating trauma, stress, and fear among people horrified by again-President-elect Donald Trump. They are also creating shouts of victory for those who supported him. I understand these responses. But I also want everyone to know that there's a vital lesson in this. It's one that all Americans can and must learn from Trump's victory. It's a message echoed in Vice President Kamala Harris's concession speech: Don't give up.
Trump, for all his flaws, never gave in to defeatism. Since his loss in 2020, he has spent his time fighting in multiple ways to come roaring back. And he did. There's no reason to believe that this possibility only applies to him. If he can do this, so can you.
To be clear, I'm not saying everyone should follow his exact tactics. But his perseverance and relentlessness paid off.
Harris clarified that neither she nor her movement gave in to defeatism. "While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign—the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness, and the dignity of all people," she said. "A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up.... And America, we will never give up the fight for our democracy, for the rule of law, for equal justice, and for the sacred idea that every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld."
The best expression of this idea came in a phenomenal speech by former President Theodore Roosevelt in 1910. Originally titled Citizenship in a Republic, the address became known as The Man in the Arena. It's a speech that I often reflect on when I need fuel for a comeback in my life as an entrepreneur.
"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better," he said. "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does strive to do the deeds... who at the best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither knows victory nor defeat."
I'm not saying the key is always "fighting," even with words. It's about mustering the energy to keep going. I have long seen the tendency of people on both sides to engage in vitriol, fueled mainly by social media. People don't engage anymore; they turn to their devices to express their views. I experience it myself from people who insist that centrists like me should see everything their way.
In the wake of a devastating loss, a mix of bitterness and numbness can set in for all of us. It's a natural response. It's OK to feel those things -- briefly. But don't let them lull you into complacency. There's work to do. Learn lessons. Change strategies. Stand up for initiatives that mean something to you. Keep going even when you're getting hammered in the arena.
Also, crucially, be willing to work across the aisle on issues where you find common ground, especially on energy and the environment. I know we can get things done because it's what I do by bringing people together to work toward an energy transition advancing us on the marathon to net zero—no matter what happens in Washington.
As painful as the last few presidential election cycles have been to about half the voters, history shows us that neither of these major parties remains in the minority forever. When a party works to understand a changing electorate and evolve with the times, it becomes more robust and better equipped to win. But at the end of the day, this comes down to people, not parties. Working together to the middle, having real conversations, and having an open perspective is how we drive solutions.
No matter who you are, in whatever walk of life, learn this from the election: Losing doesn't have to be the end. Get in and stay in the ring, and you just may have your comeback.
Katie Mehnert is CEO of Ally Energy, an AI-enabled talent community for energy.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
