Donald Trump isn't a lame duck yet, but US politicians are looking out for signs of a limp

We know how Trump’s last visit here was received. Should we expect more of the same as Lewis’s most notable grandson steps off Airforce One? In large measure, probably yes. Performative politics is never far from the surface in modern Scotland so brace yourself for protestors wrapped in saltires proclaiming Scottish exceptionalism.

Or maybe not. Our First Minister has apparently decided to take a more mature approach and to meet the president. Well done him.

Six months on from his inauguration as US president, it is already apparent that Trump Two will be a different administration from Tump One. Gone are the days of chaos when those around the President sought to manage upwards and to head him off at the pass. This time the Whitehouse is stuffed with people who seek to deliver on his pronouncements rather than to mitigate them.

Praise for UK in Washington DC

If that is the understanding that has informed our First Minister in meeting the president, then it is to be welcomed. Talking to senators, diplomats and lobbyists for much of this week in Washington DC has been a revelation.

Firstly, though it pains me to say it, there is widespread praise here for the UK and how it has played its hand since Trump’s return. Anyone holding shares in Peter Mandelson before he arrived in DC could sell today and expect a healthy return on their investment.

So, for now, we are sitting pretty as others work hard to catch up. Accepting the realpolitik of today, however, is not the same as signing up for the whole Trump agenda. The revelation of a few days spent in DC is that there is a lot more politics to play out here than you would know from watching any news channel in the UK.

Don’t expect any early bravery from either the Democrats or what we used to think of as the mainstream Republicans. They, like everyone else here, are too busy waiting to see what the midterms bring next year. Until then, Trump is the only show in town.

Vance to inherit Maga support?

Let us not forget that Trump Two is a one-term phenomenon. He may not yet be a lame duck but everyone in DC is watching closely for the first signs of a limp. What comes next? Can JD Vance hold together the Maga crowd? If not Vance, then who?

And what of the still-traumatised Democrats? Can they emerge from under the stairs and put up a fight? The most optimistic analysis that I heard on Capitol Hill this week has been “this too will pass”. It may be true but no one should depend on it.

The circus is coming to town. Where it goes from here is anyone’s guess but the answer will affect us all.

Alistair Carmichael is Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland