True to form, if not American precedent, Donald Trump didn’t accept the outcome of the November election. First, he filed a blizzard of baseless lawsuits, claiming that his defeat was the result of massive fraud. These went nowhere. He denied the Biden transition team any access to critical information, and ordered his people to destroy records wherever possible in an effort to hamper future investigations. He quietly talked to Barr, key military leaders, and even Putin about a coup, but was rebuffed. Finally, and most destructively, he called on his base to rise up and take power, by force if necessary.
Sensing an opportunity, the endlessly cynical Mitch McConnell told Biden that he would only accept the legitimacy of his incoming government if the new president would agree to shelve his spending plans and respect GOP budgetary priorities. Biden correctly saw this as a bluff, and refused.
On the day of the inauguration, Trump was at Mar-a-Lago, tweeting his brains out. A small number of his followers, armed with assault rifles, attempted to take over city halls and state houses in several red states. It came to nothing, and was a source of immense embarrassment to the GOP leadership for years thereafter.
Biden’s speech called for national reconciliation. It was well received by moderates of both parties. It was clear, however, that the task of reunifying the country would be very difficult.