The danger in an unrestrained Trump

It is Inauguration Day in the United States, and the phrase “God save America” is suddenly in vogue, there and elsewhere, a worrying development for a country that was for so long universally admired. The new utterance is not being spoken to evoke domestic pride and patriotism or foreign support. It is not being used in the same protective sense as Britain’s “God Save the Queen” or the lyric “God save our native land” in Canada’s national anthem.
Rather it is being used in stark contrast to the familiar phrase “God bless America”, a sentiment that for generations most citizens of other countries found little to quibble with, given the acknowledged greatness of the United States. For the better part of two centuries America did indeed seem divinely blessed. Recent history has altered that perception overseas, though, and the new president, Donald Trump, appears to have a far different concept of what it will take to “make America great again”. 
For foreign observers, America’s greatness derived from its occupation of the moral high ground, rising to the defence of allies and noble causes abroad against clear threats, as in the world wars. Its subsequent pursuit of dubious geopolitical goals through intervention both overt and covert toppled it from the high ground. President Barack Obama’s vow to regain that lost status following the Middle East debacle was undermined by his reliance on mass spying and imprecise drones. And now America has a president who makes policy and enemies via Twitter. Under Trump, the United States is apt to be as edgy and unpredictable as his former television reality show.
Trump has an unnerving tendency to behave like a supreme being, his podium an altar, his pronouncements the gospel that cannot be challenged. It is understandable that he overflows with confidence, having achieved such a pinnacle, but his brashness and his messiah-like boasts of being America’s saviour have to be reined in. In words and actions he does not demonstrate the empathy, grace or dignity that a world leader should.
As he is sworn in today with the lowest inaugural public-opinion rating of any US president in history, Trump will scan a ceremonial dais absent many famous politicians and other celebrities who have declined to attend. He won’t care, the chief organiser has said, because Trump himself tops the A-list of celebrities and needs no one else. A famous star Trump might be in his own right, but he certainly needs others, and not just the citizens who voted for him.
Trump has offended people around the globe with his boorishness and bullying, most recently attacking esteemed civil-rights icon John Lewis and belittling the European Union. If he does not now begin restraining such tendencies, the world has even more to worry about than his cabinet choices already suggest. The presidency is not a licence to do what he likes, even if a cowed and partisan House is constantly backing him, and even if a vast swathe of the electorate wants him to make good on his risky and potentially ruinous campaign pledges. 
The greatest concern overseas is that America’s constitutional checks and balances, now under assault from despotic forces, will be unable to temper Trump’s hasty recklessness. Trump’s tweets about corporations already affect their stock listings significantly, for better or worse. Could a foolish Twitter post about North Korea trigger a nuclear attack? Might his abrasive attitude towards China inadvertently bolster Beijing’s global influence? Will his avowed protectionism leave US citizens poorer? 
The reality show has become reality. We are about to discover whether America can become great again – and whether the word “great” takes on unexpected meanings.