On some days it feels like nature is giving America a heads-up. Migratory birds falling from the skies; smoke from America’s west coast fires reaching Europe; parts of Florida underwater — the atmospherics are Wagnerian. Humans are waiting in the wings for when nature takes a breather. The coming weeks will show whether the US can manage a fair election amid a likely second wave of coronavirus when most Americans believe a win for the other side could only be because of fraud. America has had no dress rehearsal for a situation like this. 

It is not a good time to be part of the country’s so-called exhausted majority. The base of each party believes the other side is preparing to steal the election. Democrats, with good reason, think Donald Trump wants to make it as difficult as possible for people to vote by mail amid a pandemic. Having said all year that this will be “the most corrupt election in the history of our country”, Mr Trump has primed his supporters to respond to his call if the time comes. Talk of a Democratic coup is becoming routine in Trumpian media outlets. 

Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, has twice warned that Mr Trump might “try to steal” the election in November. Mr Biden has also, somewhat rashly, predicted that the US military would “escort him from the White House” should he refuse to concede. In practice, it is hard to believe US soldiers would break more than two centuries of precedent to intervene in civilian affairs. Such a job would fall to the Secret Service or the Capitol Hill police. But Mr Biden was probably right to imply that others, whoever they may be, would need to show Mr Trump the exit.