Democrats are facing a painful reckoning over Kamala Harris's drubbing at the hands of Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election, as shock gives way to anger and recrimination in the aftermath of a devastating repudiation.

Lawmakers and strategists looking for someone to blame for Tuesday's wipeout have so far been more likely to target U.S. President Joe Biden than Harris, who is regarded as having done a decent job with the short time she had to campaign.

The election night disaster — Trump's triumph was accompanied by a Republican "red wave" in the Senate — has proved to be a Rorschach test, with rival factions each offering reasons for the defeat informed by their particular brand of Democratic politics.