There is fear in America this week, and the best place to witness the confusion is in the classroom.
My 13-year-old son’s teacher was weeping on Wednesday morning. Like her colleagues, she has no idea how to promote or enforce the school’s code of conduct when the President-elect is a bully, a misogynist, and is accused of sexual assault.
Perhaps you can tell most about an election by looking at who is happiest with the outcome. The North Carolina chapter of the Ku Klux Klan is holding a victory parade next month, and has a picture of Donald Trump on the front page of its website. The Kremlin is also pleased. President Putin sees a major strategic opportunity. Mr Trump has spoken about the advantages of improving relations with Moscow, especially over the Syrian crisis.
The Right-wing, conspiracy-spewing blogosphere is ecstatic.
Riots break out after Donald Trump US wins Presidential Election
Poor President Obama. He handled the occasion with the grace and dignity we have come to expect, but the Oval Office encounter with his successor yesterday was a true humiliation. He had to act as if it was just a routine transfer of power. But at the same time, Obama knows that his prized healthcare reforms will be quickly reversed. The Iran nuclear deal is also vulnerable, however much European allies want to keep it intact.
Imagine spending eight years on building a better home and then someone sets it casually on fire.
This has been an exceptionally cruel week, even by this city’s tough standards. The President spent years campaigning for his achievements against a Congress that saw him as the enemy. Now the advances are finished. His reforms are toast.
So where will the opposition to Mr Trump come from? Congress is in the hands of Republicans; Democrats are in disarray. The courts will be reluctant to intervene.
So it is left to small groups of activists to challenge the Trump ascendancy. Those I watched outside the White House last night are making a purely token effort. They know they can do little more than wait for the next election season, four long years away.
Robert Moore is the ITV News Washington correspondent.
