Donald Trump has denied his likely successor the consecrating ritual of concession. America's mechanism for handing over power has broken down, and there is no constitutional procedure for removing a president who refuses to accept defeat (if that is what occurs when the final votes are tallied).

The Founding Fathers assumed that incumbents would behave with honour, though Thomas Jefferson always feared that a new Caesar might one day overstay his welcome – with Hamilton immediately in mind.

The Telegraph London