I've stayed out of this discussion, mainly because I'm a brit and not directly involved, but one thing which bothers me intensely is the position of Steve Bannon as Trump's closest advisor, and now part of the National Security Council. He's made no secret of his extreme right wing and white supremacist views, nor of his desire to "dismantle the state", and yet he's now an unelected individual in a position of considerable power, and he seems to have the President's ear.
Trump himself is, I think, is well out of his depth. He may have been a (moderately) successful businessman, but he has no idea about running a government, or of the need for careful negotiation and diplomacy in international dealings. He also, to my mind again, comes across in his vocabulary, phrasing and expressions, as fairly low in intelligence. Bannon, and others like him, appear to have a considerable hold over Trump, and are using it to push through some very badly thought out policies, and I don't see it ending well.
Trump's rampant narcissism isn't helping either. It appears he can't bear to be criticised or contradicted, and will use every opportunity, no matter how inappropriate, to promote himself. He's not painting himself in a good light.
I had hoped that, once elected, he would be more moderate, or that the rest of the Republicans would rein him in, but that unfortunately hasn't happened.
(I'm planning on visiting in August for the eclipse, so hopefully things will have calmed down a bit by then...)
