IT may be taking place thousands of miles away on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean but the events of the USA Presidential election has implications for all of us.

Given the economic and political power America exerts all over the world, who is in charge of its government is obviously a matter that concerns other countries.

That has been the case for more than a century now.

This time there is an added element to the election and it should be a worry for anyone in a democratic country who wants to remain under the laws and rules of a democratic country.

The very system of democracy is under pressure with the outcome of this election.

Donald Trump has spent his four years in the White House undermining any institution that he perceives to be a threat to his power and ambitions.

His attacks on the legitimate press have been daily at briefings, and often nightly, at 3 am, when he reached for the twitter app to vent his anger.

His attacks on his legitimate political opponents with accusations of fraud and corruption helped get him into the Oval Office.

Accusations he and his supporters have trotted out again in a bizarre bid to convince the public that the election has been “stolen” from him.

And his attacks on international institutions from the EU and the UN to NATO and latterly the World Health Organisation has led to diminished international co-operation on matters that are truly global like climate change and the Covid -19 pandemic.

Now, when the American people look to be reversing their democratic decision of four years ago and exercising their democratic duty, this time to replace him, he turns his attention to the democratic process itself.

It is clear that others, since Donald Trump began his bid for the USA Presidency, have embraced similar tactics.

Trumpist, Trumpism and Trumpian are now terms that have entered the political lexicon and they are not used in a complimentary fashion to describe a statesmanlike politician.

Fake news is a charge that has travelled across the Atlantic and used by those who want to undermine any media organisation that does not agree with their world view.

Bias is vigorously hunted down and claimed at every opportunity even when what is actually evident is balance.

Lies are spread that events are not reported when they clearly are, just not in the way some people want.

And what some call robust exchanges or locker room banter but which are unedifying insults are leading to abuse of people, in office that is not acceptable anywhere in a civilized democratic country.

Politicians in Scotland across the parliamentary political spectrum and at every level of elected office have been subjected to abuse and even threats that should not be tolerated.

People’s appearance, almost exclusively women, their sexuality, race and religion has been used to spew out bile.

Political affiliation has also been the cause of personal abuse, vandalism and threats to their safety.

Of course all of the above has existed in America and in Britain both in politics and in society before Donald Trump got his mitts on the White House keys.

We saw it during the independence referendum when the online abuse was at times frenzied.

But there has been the threat of it being normalized in recent years.

When the President of the United States, one of the most, if not the most, powerful offices in the world embraces these tactics it is a signal to others that it is acceptable.

Now it looks like his out of office will be switched on soon, to be timed for January when his term is up, he is resisting.

He is resisting the will of the people who put him there. The American people.

It could fall to another of the great institutions of democracy, the judiciary, to decide, if he contests.

Donald Trump will then hopefully find out that he is not above the law.

And when he is finally gone from office as one of the few US Presidents defeated after one term, hopefully the hate, bile, distrust, abuse and attempts to weaken institutions necessary to uphold democracy will also end.

If, as looks likely, Donald Trump’s presidency will be history sooner than he would have wanted, the American people have delivered their verdict on him after giving the office.

It is a sobering reminder to him that the people ultimately have the power and the office of the Presidency is greater than him or any others to have held it.

Others should take note.

Scotland is about to go into yet another election campaign and again traditional media and social media will be at the heart of it.

Opponents are there to be debated, with argued with but in a democracy there are rules everyone has to abide by.

We can ensure that Donald Trump does not leave a legacy and that in our politics sowing hate, distrust and division is consigned to history along with his four years in power.