Paris | Most countries lost patience long ago. The erratic outbursts of President Donald Trump were unacceptable to allies when they were not simply insulting. Even rivals like China and Russia reeled at the president's gut-driven policy lurches. Trump said in 2016 that America must be "more unpredictable". He was true to his word.

The sudden infatuation with North Korea's Stalinist leader, Kim Jong Un, the kowtowing to President Vladimir Putin of Russia, the "Chinese virus" obsession, the enthusiasm for the fracturing of the European Union, and the apparent abandonment of core American democratic values were so shocking that Trump's departure on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT) from the White House is widely viewed with relief.