AN AMERICAN INSURRECTION. THE UNRAVELLING OF THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY

By Michael Jarvis, London, UK

Cayman and the rest of the outside world continue to watch on in amazement, glued in shocking disbelief to the unfolding drama in America.

Outgoing president Donald Trump's continued resistance of the outcome of last November’s presidential election is widely seen as fuelling the storming of the Congress on Wednesday, January 6th.

For many, it’s a day that will live on infamy in US history and will be the abiding legacy of the Trump presidency.

Under mounting pressure, Mr Trump, appearing to be somewhat chastened, issued an appeal late Thursday distancing himself from the events of the previous day, calling for "healing", and committing to an orderly transfer of power.

That’s after declaring to his crowd of supporters just 24 hours before at the Washington rally on Wednesday: “We will never give up. We will never concede.”

Mr Trump has been chastised for inciting and condoning the conduct which led to Wednesday's attack on the Congress.

Even some of the handful of his closest personal international allies, among them British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, are separating themselves from the increasingly isolated outgoing president.

"In so far as he encouraged people to storm the Capitol, and in so far as the president has consistently cast doubt on the outcome of a free and fair election, I believe that was completely wrong," Mr Johnson said.

"I believe what President Trump has been saying about that has been completely wrong and I unreservedly condemn encouraging people to behave in the disgraceful way that they did in the Capitol."

There’s now a mounting crescendo of calls from within both Democrat and Republican circles in the US for Mr Trump, to be held criminally liable, removed from office or impeached.

There’s also been a spate of resignations from his cabinet and others are expected.

Mr Trump is due to demit office on January 20th when Democrat Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, an eventuality that the soon-to-be ex-president now seems to have reluctantly and belatedly accepted.

He however continues to insist that last November's presidential election was flawed and that victory was "stolen" from him.

Even leading up to the election Donald Trump was accused of already fanning the flames suggesting that if he lost it would only be due to the polls being rigged.

It came to be a mantra of a self-fulfilling prophecy orchestrated by Mr Trump which he also attempted to insert into the Congressional elections, especially in Georgia.

Up to early last Wednesday, the southern state was 'elections central' with attention in the US and globally focused on the outcome for which control of the US Senate was hanging in the balance.

Here in Cayman, interest in the Georgia run-off was piqued as the two Republican Senators in the race had written a joint letter seeking leniency for Georgia teenager Skylar Mack jailed here for violating quarantine regulations in a case extensively covered in US and global media.

They however lost to their Democrat challengers tipping the balance in the Senate to the Democrats in an historic outcome for both the state and the US Senate.

But the anticipated Trump pushback didn't come although one the Republican Senators he's campaigned for had initially questioned the voting.

By then Cayman and global interest had shifted to the political drama in Washington where the session in Congress confirming Electoral College votes for Joe Biden's presidential victory was suspended when rioting Trump supporters overran the chambers.

In the ensuing mayhem, four people died including a rioter shot by police. A police officer later succumbed to injuries bringing the death toll to five.

The reckoning is now itself slowly unfolding with calls for rapid justice putting Mr Trump at the heart of the what many including incoming president Joe Biden, and global leaders, commentators and historians are calling an American insurrection.

Mr Trump tweeted on Friday that he won't be attending President-elect Biden's inauguration on January 20th.

It would be the first time since 1869 that an outgoing US president would have snubbed the swearing-in of his successor.

That tweet was the first day of back on Twitter for Mr Trump, a prolific tweeter, since his account was restored after it was blocked on Wednesday for violating rules against incitement. His Facebook account has also been suspended his account indefinitely on similar grounds.

He also used it to remind of his large base of loyal supporters.

Meanwhile, if Mr Trump had any plans decamping to his resort in Scotland, the Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has advised that he won't be welcome as he would be violating Scotland's strict COVID-19 border regulations.

On his way out, Donald Trump leaves in his wake a deeply polarised America.

Healing must be priority number one for the incoming administration.