The controversies and lies began on the day of the inauguration itself when the new President's self-aggrandising claims he had drawn a bigger crowd than Barack Obama led to the inclusion of "alternative facts" in the lexicon.

Then came "Russiagate", with its claims of foreign collusion in the 2016 election campaign, the relentless pursuit of "crooked Hillary", the stand-off and then reconciliation with foe turned "bestie" Kim Jong Un (aka Little Rocket Man), tax cuts, a booming economy that made him the darling of the markets, and the pursuit of an almost adversarial relationship with many of America's long-term post-war NATO allies.

And let's not forget the "thoughts and prayers" following a string of mass shootings, the "there are good people on both sides" dog whistling to right-wing fanatics, the pursuit of a trade war with China, the hard line on Iran, the Mueller probe, the Comey sacking, and the almost obsequious cosying up to Vladimir Putin.

All of these paled into insignificance compared to 2020; the "plague year" that exposed Trump's lack of character and hubristic self-belief for the whole world to see.

The Trump administration's woefully inept response to COVID-19 was far more than just the biggest single failure of a particular administration. It is without precedent in US history as an example of how not to govern, and why no leader should put their own interests ahead of their people during a national crisis. Some emergencies are so big, and so dangerous, a leader can't bluster and lie their way through.

The administration's initial failures, made inevitable by the weakness at the top and Trump's obsession with winning a second term, which coloured everything he said and did, fed into other issues including poverty and race. This helped spark the "black lives matter" protests and riots that even drove the coronavirus off the front pages. The past year, which culminated in the claims of the "stolen election" and the Washington riots - or insurrection - on January 6, was a wild ride.

Now, just hours before Trump departs the White House, it is hard to decide what is the most disturbing sight; the angry and confused mobs assaulting the Capitol building on January 6 or the ring of steel that has been thrown up to ensure the inauguration does not lead to more bloodshed.

The outgoing President's one act of political genius, his ability to corral the support of millions of disaffected and arguably neglected blue-collar Americans, has given rise to a national nightmare that fuelled an explosion in ultra right-wing and neo-fascist groups, fanned racial divisions and wound back the clock on inclusion and any sense of national unity. Trump, in the words of his former defence secretary, James Mattis, "is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people - does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us".

It now appears as if the President's parting gift to his deluded loyalists will be up to 100 presidential pardons on top of the 90 or so he has granted to date; including to former cronies and aides, Roger Stone, Michael Flynn, Alex van der Zwaan, George Papadopoulos and Charles Kushner.

If past performance is an indicator of future conduct, it is possible the next batch will be dominated by pro-Trump minions, crooked Republicans, corrupt officials, fraudulent businessmen, convicted war criminals, maybe even some of the rioters from January 6 and just possibly the President himself.