Mike Pompeo is conducting a seven-country tour of Europe and the Middle East – a trip likely to present awkward moments for the US secretary of state since all the nations on his schedule have congratulated president-elect Joe Biden for winning the White House.

Mr Pompeo is taking part in what may be his last official trip to France, tweeting out news of his arrival on Saturday.

The trip is aimed at shoring up the priorities of the outgoing administration of Donald Trump.

It will include visits to Israeli settlements in the West Bank that have been avoided by previous secretaries of state.

Mr Pompeo has followed Mr Trump and much of his Republican Party in not accepting the results of the American election, and these unusual circumstances will likely overshadow the issues.

After France, Mr Pompeo’s tour takes him to Turkey, Georgia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The leaders of all of those countries have offered public congratulations to Mr Biden.

The Trump administration is leaving office the same way it started: lying about crowd size.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, who pointedly promised in May to “never” lie to Americans, falsely tweeted that Saturday’s “Million MAGA March” in support of the president lived up to its name.

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Fifteen Asia-Pacific economies formed the world’s largest free trade bloc on Sunday, a China-backed deal that excludes the United States, which had left a rival Asia-Pacific grouping under Trump.

The US is absent from both RCEP and the successor to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), leaving the world’s biggest economy out of two trade groups that span the fastest-growing region on earth.

RCEP will account for 30 per cent of the global economy, 30 per cent of the global population and reach 2.2 billion consumers, host Vietnam said on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Taiwan is making moves to shore up ties with the incoming Biden administration.

The island’s de facto US ambassador spoke with Antony Blinken, a longtime confidant of President-elect Joe Biden on Saturday.

Susan Rice, a former top diplomat and national security adviser during the Obama administration, is the latest in a group of bipartisan leaders saying Donald Trump’s refusal to concede the election and formally begin the transition process is harming national security – with a warning that his actions could “cost us dearly in terms of American lives”.

Critics of the president might think that is already playing out with Saturday night’s clashes in Washington.

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The president took to Twitter at just before midnight, Washington time, to offer his thoughts on the violent clashes. 

A variety of charges, including assault and weapons possession, were filed against those arrested, officials said. Two police officers were injured and several firearms were recovered. 

Earlier in the day he had given an approving nod to the gathering by dispatching his motorcade through streets lined with supporters before rolling on to his Virginia golf club.

Here is how the president responded: 

Several thousand Trump backers gathered in Washington to protest against the election .

There was at least one stabbing and 20 arrests in the US capital and several other cities saw gatherings of Trump supporters unwilling to accept Democrat Joe Biden’s Electoral College and popular vote victory.

Cries of “stop the steal” and “count every vote” continued in spite of a lack of evidence of voter fraud or other problems that could reverse the result.

After night fell, the relatively peaceful demonstrations in Washington turned from tense to violent.

Videos posted on social media showed fistfights, projectiles and clubs as Trump supporters clashed with those demanding they take their banners and leave.

Good morning and welcome to our rolling coverage of all things Donald Trump, after a night of clashes in Washington following a “Make America Great Again” rally that turned violent.