Analysis: Trump abdicating in the job he fought to retain

President Donald Trump's days in office are numbered. But he's already stopped doing much of his job.

In the last three weeks, a bomb went off in a major city and the president said nothing about it. The coronavirus surged to horrifying new levels of illness and death in the U.S. without Trump acknowledging the awful milestones. A violent mob incited by the president's own words chanted for Mike Pence's lynching at the U.S. Capitol and Trump made no effort to reach out to his vice president.

Trump only belatedly ordered flags flown at half-staff to honour an officer who gave his life defending the Capitol, and couldn't be bothered to describe the officer's actions.

The transgressions, big and small — of norms, of leadership, of human decency — cast a pall over his final days in office, and, in the view of even close advisers speaking privately, have indelibly stained his legacy. A half-dozen current administration officials expressed dismay at the president's actions in recent weeks, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they are still working for Trump.

"Even after losing the election, President Trump had the opportunity to leave the White House with his head held high, celebrating achievements like the COVID-19 vaccine, progress in the Middle East, and the vibrant pre-pandemic economy fuelled by tax reform," said GOP operative Michael Steel, a onetime aide to former House Speaker John Boehner.

"Instead, he chose to wallow in delusion and grievance, and — as a result — the defining images of his presidency will be a bloody, murderous mob looting the cathedral of our democracy, the United States Capitol,'' Steel said.

As the violence raged at the Capitol last Wednesday, Trump only reluctantly put out a pair of tweets appealing for calm at the insistence of aides. He followed it up with a presidential video on Thursday decrying the violence, apparently hoping to ward off potential legal exposure and efforts to remove him from office.

Now, as the FBI warns of armed protests across the nation and in Washington in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, Trump has said nothing in recent days to tamp down passions or ensure his supporters do not again resort to violence.

At the same time, Trump has continued to spread lies about election fraud, about his political opponent and about members of his own party. After the Nov 3 vote, he retreated into a bunker of his own delusion, unable or unwilling to concede defeat, and dragged millions with him.

Two months later, aides are still struggling to convince Trump to make an effort to showcase and salvage his achievements in office, with limited success.