World leaders have quite rightly reacted with shock as well as disgust to what most of them described as “disgraceful scenes” in Washington DC after outgoing US President Donald Trump provoked a charged mob into attacking the US Congress itself. And while Congress was able to uphold its great democratic traditions and still certify that Democrat Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris have indeed won the 2020 presidential election, it happened only after four people died and more than 50 were injured during the protest and Washington’s mayor was forced to impose a curfew and declare a 15-day emergency in the US capital. There’s no doubt that quite literally the whole world had to get used to President Trump’s eccentricities, but now he’s clearly crossed a red line and done the kind of damage, both to the country he leads and to his own political career, that can never be undone. That is why presidents and prime ministers across the world got into a kind of a race to condemn the “attack on democracy” as soon as possible. One reason, of course, would be the rush to get on the right side of the new administration, which everybody will have to do business with. Even Trump’s friends and people he’s done favours to, including some within the US Republican Party, couldn’t help but distance themselves from a man who’s increasingly coming across as one who is just unable to digest his loss and is willing to cause lasting harm to the system as he throws another tantrum. President-elect Joe Biden’s response has been measured, and very rightly so. He believes American democracy has the power to auto-correct all kinds of damage that the outgoing president might have done, or might still do in the run-up to January 20. Yet it’s not surprising that some within the US government machinery have already started calling for Trump’s head. Clearly they won’ be satisfied till they make him pay for at least some of his many excesses. That is why one can expect talk of trying him for treason, which has already started doing the rounds, to circulate more widely in the days and weeks to come. Hopefully this was the last of the so-called Trump effect that the American people have had to deal with and he will finally read the writing on the wall and just bow out of office so the next administration can begin its work in peace. *