I cover the U.S. Senate and the 2020 elections for Bloomberg News. Opinions are my own. E-mail: [email protected]

Insiders described the atmosphere inside the West Wing as 'manic, exuberant, energised and toxic', with some staff lighting rose-scented candles in an attempt to soften the environment – and to combat the smell of fast-food delivered to the President and his inner circle.

'His sons and closest aides have been egging him on while no one else dares raise the delicate matter that he has lost and needs to consider life post-presidency,' said a source. 'In his mind, he never looked past election day because he is superstitious and he thought it was bad luck.

'Now he's hell-bent on creating a narrative that the election was fraudulent and so Biden is not legitimate. He believes there was a conspiracy against him from day one of his presidency – with the Russian influence hoax, the fake impeachment and now the fake election.'

Some commentators have likened the situation to the Berlin bunker scene in the movie Downfall, in which an increasingly manic Adolf Hitler rages against his most trusted generals who dare not tell him the Nazis have lost the Second World War.