US election: Being with Trump the day he lost
Over the past four years, I have seen President Donald Trump on good days and bad days. But 7 November, the day he lost the election, was a day like no other.
Dressed in a black windbreaker, dark trousers and a white MAGA hat, or Make America Great Again, the president left the White House a few minutes before 10:00. He had spent the early part of his day tweeting about election fraud.
Now he leaned forward slightly, as if he were pushing into the wind. He climbed into a dark vehicle and headed to his golf club, Trump National in Sterling, Virginia, about 25 miles (40km) from the White House.
In that moment, he projected an air of confidence. It was a lovely day, perfect for golf, and he was going to spend the day at the club.
But the people who worked for him seemed on edge.
"How are you doing?" I asked one of the junior staffers.
"Fine," she said. She smiled, but her eyes narrowed. She looked down at her phone.
Election trauma
The White House has been through some trauma in the days since the election. It was only on Tuesday, but it feels like a lifetime ago.
Many of the desks in the West Wing were empty when I walked through the building on Saturday morning. Several staffers have been infected with the coronavirus, and they were out of the office. Others were in quarantine.
Then, starting at about 11:30, while the president was at his golf club, the BBC and the US networks began calling the election for Joe Biden, his Democratic rival.
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