Trump's coup failed – but US democracy has been given a scare

The president pulled every lever to stay in power. It didn't work, but how would the US handle a closer election?

In the end, the coup did not take place. In the most grudging manner possible, Donald Trump signalled on Monday night that the transition of power could begin.

That, a White House official told reporters, was as close as Trump will probably ever come to concession, but the machinery of transition has gathered momentum. Joe Biden's incoming administration now has a government internet domain, is being briefed by government agencies and is due to receive federal funding.