Why Kamala lost and Trump won big

After years of our lives being taken up by the campaign for the US presidency, we finally have a result. And against the apparent polling, it is a clear and unambiguous result. Donald Trump has performed the most remarkable political comeback, has cemented his role as a transformational president in the politics of the United States, and at a stroke has removed his legal woes and avoided any likelihood of going to prison. How did the Democrats lose this, when they felt they had fought a "nearly flawless" campaign and outspent Trump three to one? How did Trump win this, when he had the most disastrous debate performance since ... um, well, Joe Biden's debate performance in the immediately preceding debate? And what can we say about the next four years that isn't just idle speculation? Let's discuss.