THE EYES of the world will be on America as it elects a new president this week. Political passions are running high.
I’ll be in the ballroom at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s club in Florida, on Tuesday evening as the results roll in.
It is extraordinary to think that in a country of 330 million people, the result of the presidential election will be decided by 10,000 votes here or there in just a handful of states. So who will win?
I strongly believe that Trump will do it and the UK should be very pleased if I’m right.
After years of endless legal actions - and two assassination attempts – the energy and ebullience Trump has shown in the past two weeks has been nothing short of extraordinary.
For years, I’ve wanted him to appear on stage as he is in private - a great raconteur who loves to laugh.
For the first time, he has shown this side of himself in public, whether serving McDonald’s fries at a drive-through or telling jokes about his own weight.
He seems very confident and very comfortable in this campaign now.
Contrast his fizzing personality with that of Kamala Harris.
Her campaign has turned into a negative boreathon in which she has little to say other than to claim Trump is a fascist whose huge rallies are similar to those put on by the Nazis.
Be in no doubt, the positive momentum is with Trump and the polls and betting markets are reflecting this.
So what does it mean for us?
Instinctively, Trump is pro-British, perhaps more so than any US President in recent decades. His mother, Mary, was a Scot, and he adores the Scottish countryside.
He is immensely proud of the golf courses he owns in Turnbury and Aberdeen. His fascination with the Royal family and his immense respect for the late Queen should not be underestimated either.
Above all, Trump has an abiding respect for Britain.
Compare this to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. They seem to think we are a pretty irrelevant nation. They would much rather talk to their European Union friends in Brussels.
So, under Trump, the opportunities for improved relations on US-UK trade are significant.
Sadly, there are obstacles.
Some senior Labour government figures have said incredibly abusive things about Trump over the years.
David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, has in the past called him a “neo-Nazi sympathizing sociopath”; a “dangerous clown”; and “a racist KKK and Nazi sympathizer”.
Once, he even vowed to oppose a visit to the U.K. by the then-president.
Such schoolboy politics from a sitting MP is hard to believe.
Trump has also had a long-running feud with Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of London.
Not forgetting the Labour Party recently sending almost 100 current and former party staff members to the US to campaign against Trump in swing states.
None of this is helpful.
But I believe all of it can be overcome because Trump forgives those who say horrible things about him. Indeed, even his vice presidential running mate, JD Vance, was a never-Trumper back in 2016.
Vance opposed his boss’s candidacy. But Donald lets bygones be bygones.
The recent announcement that the UK is to surrender the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius will be difficult.
The military base of Diego Garcia is on the islands and the Americans use it with our permission.
It is considered a vital asset by the US military.
Even though a 99-year lease deal with Mauritius is in place, such agreements can be broken, as we have seen with China’s behaviour over another former British possession, Hong Kong.
Sir Keir Starmer’s government will also have to decide whether it is open to a trade deal with America, something Trump has always wanted since his first term.
I see no reason why a Trump administration would not begin negotiations quickly, but the European Union is likely to oppose such talks — providing Starmer with a major dilemma.
In the same vein, a Trump administration would not want the vital intelligence shared between Britain and the Americans to be given to Brussels without his permission.
I believe all of these difficulties can be overcome with a pro-British Trump presidency and all of us should view a Trump victory this week as a great opportunity for our country, notably its battered economy.
Let’s hope that Donald Trump will be the 47th President of the United States.
