The year 2020 has been a strange year. From the Covid-19 pandemic to Kanye West’s birthday surprise video for Kim Kardashian, featuring a digital rendering of her deceased father.
But while the electoral defeat of President Donald Trump was a surprise to some, its chaotic aftermath seems entirely predictable.
The former reality TV host turned world leader who gave us the short-lived Trump University, and a slew of peculiar TV adverts, including one for US restaurant chain Pizza Here are some of the oddest moments:
World domination?
As polling ended on election day, Mr Trump’s nearest and dearest were supremely confident.
The excitement may have been a little too much for Donald Trump Jr, who seemed to confirm the worst fears of his father’s critics when he tweeted his “electoral map”, showing the red colour of Republican states all over the world.
This did not include Mexico, China and, strangely, India, a country with which Mr Trump has fervently sought to strengthen relations.
Did this reveal a terrifying plan for world domination? Twitter wasn’t exactly forthcoming.
Election fraud, and discounted cigars
Rudolph Giuliani, Mr Trump’s attorney, followed the president's example by tweeting theories about complicated plots to steal the US election from the rightful winners.
He also loves a good cigar. The efficient lawyer was quick to combine both his passions in a tweeted video on November 7, which featured an advert for cigars, 10 minutes in. Kansas-based retailer Red Hills Tobacco was less than impressed, making its views clear on twitter.
Barbecue, beer and freedom
Mr Giuliani’s warning that the election was being stolen, was certainly having an effect on some people.
In one of the more amusing moments of the election, election official Joe Gloria of Clark County, Nevada, was left bemused during a press conference as a man, now immortalised as “BBQ, beer, freedom guy” (because of the words emblazoned on his tank top) shouted to get his message across.
He certainly succeeded on that front – video of the event has been viewed 10 million times.
If in doubt, golf
For some, it was the perfect end to the presidency of Mr Trump. He seemingly vanished hours after news rolled in that Pennsylvania was firmly in the hands of the Democrats, sealing election victory for Mr Biden.
Mr Trump had decamped to his golf course in nearby Virginia, despite the fact that his legal team had just begun a gruelling struggle to overturn the election result.
This led to some arguably predictable puns about hiding in a bunker, but also spelt the end of the Twitter account dedicated to tracking his golfing trips, @trumpgolfcount, which bode farewell after tracking 284 of the president’s games.
The Four Seasons fiasco
On Saturday, Mr Trump’s team, led by Mr Giuliani, were all set for a press conference to reveal what they claimed was the greatest scandal in the history of American democracy.
The venue for this event was the Four Seasons in Philadelphia, but Mr Trump failed to specify exactly which one – the Four Seasons Total Landscaping centre was the intended venue, located in the city's less than glamorous industrial district.
To comedian Jeffrey Lieber, this was further evidence that Mr Trump's legal team were not as organised as they wanted to make out.
