It should have been a mere matter of procedure in what should have been a peaceful handover of power between presidents. But last night Donald Trump supporters attempted a coup on the Capitol in Washington DC, the heart of American democracy. The outgoing President Trump stands a lonely figure this morning, with many of his key supporters in his party and Government having deserted him following his supposed support for the violence as he refused to condemn his followers’ actions.

Insurrectionists stormed the Capitol last night following the election of two Democrat contenders were elected to the Senate, pushing the party over the line to control the Senate.

Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff defeated Republican incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue respectively.

Democrats will control the Senate, the House of Representatives and the White House for the first time since 2009.

Donald Trump and his supporters did not react well to the news, with the outgoing President insistent that he won the election “by a landslide” in a speech that only served to encourage the violence.

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Thousands then broke into the Capitol while representatives and senators were holding a joint session of Congress.

One woman, Ashli Babbit, a 35-year-old from San Diego and former Air Force veteran, was killed by a plain clothes police officer in the struggle.

Two other men also died in separate incidents.

Despite the disruption, the US Congress has now managed to certify the 270 Electoral College votes for Joe Biden, confirming that he will become the next President of the United States of America.

Many of his closest allies, including the Vice President Mike Pence, have deserted him, with countless other Republicans and Democrats condemning the violence and calling for his immediate removal from office.

While her husband has been continually making the case for why he definitely didn’t lose at all, Melania Trump has been notably absent in the last 24 hours.

Where is Melania Trump?

Melania Trump was not seen with her husband yesterday as he addressed supporters close to the White House.

Her whereabouts is unknown, but the President last night recorded a message from the gardens of the White House to his supporters at the Capitol.

The last tweet on Melania’s @FLOTUS timeline is a Happy New Year message: “May 2021 be filled with the blessings of joy, good health & peace throughout the year!”

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The outgoing First Lady has never commented on her husband’s election loss, or his claims of voter fraud and that he won the election.

She has also not commented on the Washington protests, and her Chief of Staff and spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham has resigned amid the chaos.

Ms Grisham said in a statement: “It has been an honour to serve the country in the White House.

“I am very proud to have been a part of Mrs Trump’s mission to help children everywhere, and proud of the many accomplishments of this Administration.”

Also handing in eleventh-hour letters of resignation following the riot were Anna Cristina “Rickie” Niceta, the White House social secretary, and Sarah Matthews, deputy White House press secretary.

Ms Matthews said in a statement: “As someone who worked in the halls of Congress, I was deeply disturbed by what I saw today.”

No specific reasons were cited for Ms Grisham and Ms Niceta’s resignations.

Mr Trump’s social media accounts have also been suspended overnight.

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