President-elect Donald Trump pulled off what many are saying is the greatest political comeback in American history by winning a second non-consecutive term despite a felony conviction and the stain of Jan. 6.
Trump himself called it “a political victory that our country has never seen before” and “the greatest political movement of all time. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance went further, calling it point-blank “the greatest political comeback in American history.”
The win no doubt cements Trump’s name in the historical record in a way that will never quite be matched again. He was left for dead following the Capitol riot four years ago, and was not taken seriously by the political press during much of his first campaign in 2015 and 2016.
But other figures throughout White House history have staked their comeback claims as unprecedented and historic, including one who pulled of a very similar maneuver more than a century ago. Here are a few, in no particular order.
Grover Cleveland
Some politicos joked on social media that Trump was trying this year to pull off the “full Grover,” referring to Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th president.
Cleveland was elected in 1884 while overcoming his own detractors and scandals, as rumors circulated that he’d fathered an illegitimate child and his opponent’s rallies included the chant, “Ma, Ma, where’s my Pa?”
But Cleveland emerged victorious, serving until the end of 1888. He then lost a reelection bid to 23rd President Benjamin Harrison, a former Indiana senator. Harrison campaigned hard on raising tariffs, an issue that Trump has capitalized on, and Cleveland was ousted, failing even to win his home state of New York.
He began planning a comeback even before he left office, with his wife reportedly telling a staff member, “Take good care of all the furniture and ornaments in the house, for I want to find everything just as it is now, when we come back again.”
Harrison’s aggressive tariffs proved controversial, and the pair faced off in a rematch in 1892. Harrison did not campaign at all on account of his wife’s severe illness, making it a quiet and somber election. In the end, Cleveland won handily, returning to the White House and its furniture just as his spouse promised.
Richard Nixon
Nixon is one of history’s most notorious presidents, remembered today mostly for the Watergate scandal that cut his second term short. But he staged his own comeback, which involved becoming the GOP presidential nominee in three different elections.
After serving in both the House and Senate representing California, Nixon won two terms as vice president under Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1950s. Nixon won that post at the age of 40, the same age that Vance is now.
After Eisenhower left the stage, Nixon earned the Republican nomination in the 1960 election against Democrat John F. Kennedy. He narrowly lost that race, which included the first televised presidential debate.
Nixon became especially dejected two years later, when he lost the 1962 race for governor of California and announced his retirement from politics. But he wasn’t done after all.
In 1968, Nixon made a comeback, securing the GOP nomination again and defeating Hubert Humphrey in the general election. He became even stronger afterward, winning the 1972 election in a 49-state landslide. It all ended with Watergate, but had Nixon given up after failing in 1960 or 1962 most people today would not know his name at all.
Bill Clinton
Clinton is remembered more for his charm and his extramarital affairs than for his comebacks, yet he made two major turnarounds during his career.
A political prodigy, Clinton became the governor of Arkansas at just 32 years old, earning the nickname “Boy Governor” due to his youthful appearance.
But his first run there lasted just two years as he was kicked out of the office in 1980, joking that he was the youngest ex-governor in history. In 1982, Clinton made his first comeback by winning the governorship again. He remained in the Arkansas governor’s mansion into the early 1990s.
His second comeback came during the 1992 Democratic presidential primaries. Clinton finished a distant third in the Iowa caucuses, then faced damaging reports of an affair with Gennifer Flowers ahead of the New Hampshire primary.
Accompanied by his wife, Bill Clinton went on 60 Minutes to deny the allegations and came in a close second in New Hampshire, springboarding him to the nomination and two terms in the White House. Some news outlets still refer to him as “the comeback kid.”
Teddy Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt’s comeback wasn’t quite successful, but remains notable for the determination it showed. Roosevelt is still a beloved figure for his bison hunting and his successful effort to save college football.
Roosevelt didn’t need any comebacks to serve nearly two full terms in the White House. He became president in 1901 following the death of Trump favorite William McKinley, then handily won a second term in 1904.
He left the presidency on his own in 1908, but grew restless with his successor, William Howard Taft, and tried a comeback in 1912. On the campaign trail, Roosevelt was shot moments before giving a speech.
“I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot,” he told the crowd, revealing his bloodstained shirt. “It takes more than that to kill a bull moose.”
While Roosevelt did not win in 1912, there’s something to be said for a man who can take a bullet and keep campaigning.
Joe Biden
Trump disparaged Biden constantly during the 2020 and 2024 campaigns, but he shares something in common with him when it comes to comebacks.
Biden was elected U.S. senator from Delaware at the age of 29, and reportedly began eyeing the presidency soon after. He didn’t run until 1987, when his candidacy was felled by an ugly and embarrassing plagiarism scandal.
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Scranton Joe similarly failed during a run in 2008, and then was passed over by Democratic leadership in 2016 in favor of Hillary Clinton. He ran a third time in 2020, finishing poorly in the Iowa and New Hampshire Democratic primaries before finally securing his footing in South Carolina and earning the nomination.
After nearly 50 years in Washington, Biden finally fulfilled his dream of becoming president in 2020. He will hand the office back to the man he took it from, Trump, in January.
