We should work to make Trump 2.0 a success because it is in our interests - Brian Monteith

Not an especially big number and Kamala Harris was in most cases strongly ahead, but among Scottish men between 16-34 support for Trump was 52 per cent. That’s something for Scottish politicians to ponder.

Not that any of that matters. Quite properly, only US citizens were entitled to a vote for the leader of the most powerful nation on earth, but such is the parading of negativity towards the brash business mogul turned marmite politician that one could be forgiven for thinking Trump had no admirers whatsoever. It’s like attitudes in the UK towards Nigel Farage, only on steroids.

They are, of course, personal friends, but they share something else, the uncanny knack of promoting views which are regularly condemned as extreme on issues like immigration, law and order and detached globalised government and yet such opinions are often held by the majority of ordinary voters. This means they are, by definition not extreme, but mainstream. It is the critics that often live in their own exclusive and unrealistic world that hold the truly extreme positions – like men can grow a cervix (thank you, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy).

If all the criticism of Trump’s policies were even half true (like he will create wars, when he created none, but made great advances in establishing peace in the Middle East and calming down North Korean bellicosity) it is hard to comprehend how the US people chose Trump over Harris.

He has been demonised in every possible way. Yet the support he drew confounded all those accusations and left critics exposed for their unjustified hyperbole that only made them look ridiculous and crazed.

It seems Trump Derangement Syndrome, just like Brexit Derangement Syndrome, is a real thing and it’s not a pretty sight. Let’s hope for the sake of those afflicted with it that it’s only temporary.

How then did he win the first popular vote for the Republicans since 2004, which he didn’t do in 2016 or 2020? And he’s helped the Republicans win retain the Senate and are on track to win the House of Representatives.

Well, consider the coalition that Donald Trump formed. Trump’s support grew among minorities, with 8 per cent of black voters in 2020 doubling to 16 per cent of black voters in 2024 – even when his opponent is a person of colour. Support among Latinos also grew, from 35 per cent in 2020 to 42 per cent in 2024. Despite Kamala Harris majoring on the issue of abortion being a Federal right and accusing Trump of being against it (when he is in favour of the 50 states choosing for themselves) he still managed to win 53 per cent support among white women (and 59 per cent among white men).

While Trump did not win the Muslim vote (that went to the Green candidate Jill Stein who attracted 53.2 per cent) he came in at 21.4 per cent, ahead of Harris on 20.3 per cent, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

This was all achieved despite Trump and the Republicans being outspent by Harris and the Democrats. Yes, the richest man in the world Elon Musk was backing Trump but Harris had more billionaires (83) behind her than Trump (52). Surely we should rejoice that the underdog, the candidate with the smaller budget, the David, managed to outwit and defeat the Goliath?

Trump won every one of the seven swing states, leading to a common social media insinuation that Harris could only win in those states not legally requiring photo identification to vote. Is it a coincidence? Who knows but I would not be surprised if federal law is changed to enforce that rule universally by 2028.

Like night following day, there has been a rush to use Trump’s victory as an excuse to justify a number of British political positions, such as cosying up to the EU. Apparently the threat of Trump introducing US import tariffs on foreign goods means that we should rejoin the EU single market and customs union. (That would guarantee we would be subject to the tariffs – whereas there is actually an opportunity to cut a separate deal with lower tariffs or none at all.)

The same argument is made about why, if we know what is good for us, we should enter into military, security and criminal justice alliances because the US is going to retreat into a dark isolationist cave and we can only be protected ourselves by sharing the burden across Europe.

I would bet my house that had Kamala Harris won we would be already hearing the argument “the UK counts for nothing in Washington circles” and it is better we rejoin the EU so we have a voice and influence.

Advocates of this Make Europe Great Again approach and are not objectively weighing-up the pros and cons of the UK’s national interests but are parading their subjective prejudices by putting EU interests before our own. While import tariffs from Trump would be a mistake they are no different than the import tariffs levied by the EU Customs Union.

Trump is a friend towards the UK but suspicious of socialists and those who have sided against US interests. There’s every possibility that Trump 2.0 will be more successful than his first presidency – we should extend our hand of friendship and help to make his foreign policies a success.

Brian Monteith is a former member of the Scottish and European parliaments.