THERE is an old adage which says that in America, anybody can be president. (Adlai E Stevenson Jr, who ran for the White House in 1952 and 1956, wryly added: “That’s the risk you take.”) The stereotype, denoting someone of humble origins achieving the highest office, is that of the log-cabin president. There have, in fact, been only seven: Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S Grant and James Abram Garfield.

Donald Trump, a declared candidate in the 2016 contest, might think of a log cabin as a place to store firewood. The son of a housing developer, Fred Trump, who left a fortune estimated at around £250m, he has prospered in his own right, his personal wealth estimated by Forbes at £2.5 billion.

No doubt with an affectionate nod to his Lewis-born mother, Mr Trump has done rather well out of Scotland. Figures published in his financial disclosure to the Federal Election Commission show that last year the Trump International Golf Links near Aberdeen earned him around £2.5m, and he pulled in about £12.8m from the Turnberry golf resort.

It is sobering to think back to Old Abe and reflect that this White House candidate might regard a fleet of Lincolns as a mere bagatelle.