Letter: Real leaders play by the rules

This is an exciting time for Maine’s varsity sports playoffs. We love to watch the passionate, skillful athletes. Once the winner is determined, our tradition is that athletes shake hands and congratulate one another.

Suppose a coach loses a game, refuses to accept the results, stalks off the court telling the team they were cheated out of the win. The coach announces that they will not accept the results, the officiating was biased, the time clock was rigged, the conditions were poor, and practice time was limited. They hold protest rallies, appeal the outcome, and, if unsuccessful, organize a march to the State House in Augusta to overturn the results.

Is this the kind of behavior we’d expect of a coach or someone in a leadership role? So why would we accept such behavior by a presidential candidate? Donald Trump clearly lost the last election, never conceded nor acknowledged the winner, Joe Biden. He blamed issues around mail-in ballots, dishonest poll clerks, late polls closings and ballot box stuffing, all of which proved to be false. He even directed his supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol to disrupt the election certification. To this day he denies he lost.

We need real leaders for our country just as we need coaches with character for our kids. Real leaders play by the rules. They acknowledge the results, win or lose. I ask myself, is Donald Trump a leader we can trust?

Thomas McClain
Kennebunkport