DONALD Trump’s proclaimed love of Scotland has always been something of an embarrassment to people all across our country.

But the reality is that as dangerous as the president-elect is, we are not immune to him or the toxic politics that he stands for.

From emboldening Nazis and white supremacists, to whipping up fears and tensions around the world and undermining democracy in his own country, his first presidential term did so much to shape our current political context. It is easy to see why another term of Trump in the White House is such a frightening prospect for so many.

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That is why many of us strongly object to what would be unremarkable in other circumstances – the welcoming overtures that he has received from other leaders around the world, including Scotland’s First Minister.

The election outcome may be legitimate, but his politics are so toxic that it’s neither possible nor desirable to have a normal relationship with a president who does not respect basic civilised norms.

A convicted felon who believes in erasing fundamental human rights for many of the most marginalised people in society; a misogynist whose aggressively anti-choice views have resulted in the appointment of extremist Supreme Court judges and a crackdown on long-held rights.

The clearly political choice to overturn Roe v Wade has decimated reproductive rights in some states, with the president-elect promising to double down on these punishing policies.

The climate crisis is a global one, and at a time when we urgently need global action, the most powerful office in the world will be held by a climate change denier who dismantled nearly 100 environmental protections during his last term. Nobody believes for a moment that he will change; he will allow the biggest global polluters to carry on destroying our planet in the name of profit.

It is easy to see why so many Americans wanted change. From the skyrocketing cost of living, to the utterly shameful role of the Biden administration in enabling genocide against the people of Gaza, it is no surprise that so many were sick of a broken status quo.

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But the cost of a Trump presidency will not be felt by the rich and powerful, or by the corporations who have made so much from exploiting people and planet. Instead it will be felt by the marginalised communities who have been thrust into the forefront of the cynical culture war that has been fuelled by Trump and demagogues like him.

So if this country does have a “special relationship” with the US, it must be focused on them; the people and communities who we need to stand with and support, not the man who poses such a threat to their lives and their wellbeing.

Our allies in the US must be those who still believe in human rights, in democracy and the rule of law, and in climate action. That’s why John Swinney’s warm words were so disappointing to those of us who know that our social and cultural ties with the US do not rest with Trump’s administration.

As the iconic photos of the late Janey Godley with her placard remind us, Trump should be met with audacious challenge rather than hospitality if he visits Scotland again.

One thing the Scottish Government must do as a matter of urgency is investigate Trump’s investments in Scotland, not least because they were cited by the judge in the New York court case into Trump’s civil fraud.

Nobody should be above the law, and we need to uphold a zero-tolerance approach to financial crimes. The SNP have the power to use an Unexplained Wealth Order, which the Scottish Greens have repeatedly called for, to reveal where the money came from that has funded his Scotland-based businesses.

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At the same time, it is essential that we acknowledge the reasons for his success and the threat the far-right pose in this country too; the failure of the tepid political centre to offer the transformative solutions that protect people from rising prices or invest in communities.

That failure has been successfully exploited by opportunistic far-right politicians like Trump, and Reform.

One thing that will have rung familiar to a lot of us is the division that the Trump campaign purposefully stirred up. He was far more concerned with driving people apart and playing communities off one another than he was with fostering any kind of unity.

The relentless racism and the abuse of LGBTQ+ people, and trans people in particular, is not so far removed from the rhetoric that has been normalised in this country across so much of the political spectrum, especially the increasingly extreme Tory Party.

I strongly believe that, like our country, the US has the capacity to create a fair, just society that provides for people’s needs, and safeguards the future of the natural world we depend on. It’s important to hold on to that belief, even if such hope is harder work than usual this week.

We can only overcome the new far-right and the threat they pose by standing together, supporting the people and groups in the firing line, reaffirming our commitment to universal human rights and building a system that provides genuine safety and stability for all.

The rise of Trump is symptomatic of legitimate discontent and a broken status quo. He may profess to love Scotland, but we need to ensure that the future we build here is as far removed as possible from the one he represents.