As Joe Biden eked out a victory in the US presidential election after a few suspenseful days, observers of American democracy were left scratching their heads. Buoyed by polls, many expected a landslide for the Democrats, with the party capturing not only the White House but also the Senate. How did Donald Trump manage to retain the support of so many Americans - receiving an even larger number of votes than four years ago - despite his blatant lies, evident corruption, and disastrous handling of the pandemic?

The importance of this question goes beyond American politics. Centre-left parties ev...