I’m not a gracious loser – but I’m nothing compared to Donald Trump

Being competitive is nothing to be ashamed of – but the current president goes far beyond that, writes Janet Street-Porter

Donald Trump on the campaign trail (AP)

Is Donald Trump the ultimate bad loser? When the votes – or whatever else – don’t go his way, he seems unable to countenance defeat: it’s simply not in his DNA.

Cornered in the fight, he’s not going to be gracious, he’s not going to accept someone else might pip him at the post, he’s going to be carted off screaming and hollering and protesting wrongdoing until the very last vote is counted.

Trump won’t paste a fake smile of resigned acceptance on that orange face, he won’t be wishing Joe Biden well (should he win) and he certainly won’t be apologising for his ranting, threats and accusations of fake ballots and mismanaged counts.

It’s very rare to watch such an unalloyed, brassy, blatant humdinger of a bad loser in action. It’s a spectacle that’s all but vanished in our increasingly “woke” society, where we have to think twice about every word or phrase for fear of causing offence. Whatever you think of Donald Trump, surely we can enjoy this rare bravura performance of unsportsmanlike behaviour.

As someone who is ruthlessly competitive (a bit like Andy Murray), I can be a poor loser. When I didn’t win an International Emmy Award for a TV show I produced, the producer of the programme that did whispered, “I’m so sorry, it should have been yours”. To which I replied just one word (muttered through clenched teeth with a fake smile pasted on my face) – “Yes”.

When I didn’t win Celebrity Masterchef but Ade Edmondson did, Gregg asked me how I felt. I answered: “My food was better.”

Yes, I’m not a gracious loser. But I’m not a monster.