‘Divine blessing’ ominous for a president in full flight

Paul Kelly’s column (“Stand back, it’s the President as king”, 1/29) had an ominous feel about it.

While I admire Donald Trump for his tenacity to regain the presidency for a second term, I hesitate to agree with his quick-fire actions for his plan to Make America Great Again.

Should we be worried about the rumblings we have already heard or seen over his actions, such as the one invoked to round up and deport illegal immigrants?

Is this the beginning of a tyrannical reign similar to other despots throughout history?

Caution must be adhered to with a watchful eye, with the Trump brigade raging hot at the moment in Washington.

Kelly noted Trump’s speech in which he declared that he was saved by God to make America great again, which was notably inspired by president George Washington’s inaugural speech, who also invoked the “divine blessing”.

Trump has big plans, including the intimidation of smaller countries, as Kelly pointed out, and one hopes it will not lead to the rise of an evil power. Trump claims to be “blessed by God” and one can only pray the American people will not curse him once his plans are in full-blown Trump action.

Susan McLochlan, Caboolture South, Qld

An assured outcome of Donald Trump’s massive exercise of presidential power — political, economic, military, and diplomatic — will be that its effects will manifest in very short order.

One hopes for the best but his policies invite an unknowable level of pushback and counter-measures from friend and foe alike, with the potential to swamp him and his administration in a Gordian knot of chaos.

Tony Hagar, Sandy Bay, Tas

Paul Kelly’s superb article raises some rather disturbing issues with respect to the new American President’s behaviour and also prompts a re-examination of the evolution of the American political system.

By historical coincidence, both America and France were striving to develop a revolutionary political system in the late 18th century – in both instances, on account of perceived deficiencies in the system of unrestrained monarchy. Indeed, there was a great deal of interaction and “cross-fertilisation” between the two countries at the time.

The initial, preferred choice of the revolutionary assembly in France would have been for a constitutional monarchy, modelled on the British system. After a trial period, however, this failed to survive, largely on account of a high degree of cupidity and devious behaviour on the part of Louis XVI and the ultimate outcome was an absolute republic.

The American colonists, on the other hand, having fought and won a war of independence to rid themselves of what was perceived as a tyrannical monarchy, opted directly for a republican system, albeit with a number of checks and balances (for example, the division of powers).

The question which Kelly is essentially posing is whether, with a highly solipsistic and narcissistic individual holding the country’s highest office, will the checks and balances be sufficient to restrain him from becoming active in legislative areas, the outcome of which could ultimately be to the detriment of the American political system?

The outstanding advantage of the British system is that the monarch is ultimately constrained by the parliament.

Given the recent flurry of “executive orders” passed by Donald Trump, the US congress, in the ultimate, seems to have very little control over a president with delusions of regal grandeur.

Bill Pannell, Dalkeith, WA

For better or worse, the US government has a fortress of built-in safeguards to control any president from going mad with power.

The globe must pause the Trump denigration syndrome, and hope that he ends up achieving half of what he wants.

Reflect that he is the only Western political leader who is de-platforming our self-destruction via neocommunist identity politics, including its climate angst boondoggles, in which Australia specialises.

Meanwhile, we can acknowledge that Trump was prescient in aligning his government with all the US big tech giants such as Elon Musk, who are with him right now while the nation is considering the implications of the rise of China’s DeepSeek.

Betty Cockman, Dongara, WA