Victory Speech Was Part Lincoln, Part Trump

The financial markets thought Donald Trump’s conciliatory victory speech early Wednesday morning meant something. That interpretation seems plausible. If nothing else, Trump’s tone suggested that he realized the markets were getting volatile and that he wanted to calm the waters by giving the most conventional speech he’s ever delivered.

Although Clinton supporters (even those who were awake) were probably too exhausted and upset to hear it very clearly, the speech mattered because of the way it intentionally referred to history. Echoing Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and John Kennedy, the man who once threatened to break the tradition of concession gave a victory speech that was entirely oriented toward confirming tradition.