Donald Trump has been sworn in as president of the USA and the world didn’t end. His first day didn’t feature as much mayhem as he promised, but he does have four years to deliver on his promises.

Some his plans just won’t happen. Changing the citizenship rules would require a constitutional amendment. Those are notoriously difficult to pass, especially in a tight time frame. Already a court challenge has been launched against the plan.

Other actions, like tightening the border, have already started. Tariffs are coming, but they weren’t a first-day priority. Canadians are still wondering how bad the economic impact will be – though this week we are mor concerned with the cold weather. Trump and the weather have something in common: we can’t control them.

Four years of a Trump presidency promises to be interesting. For liberals, his term will be a disaster. Conservatives will, for the most part, support his policies. The biggest question in my mind is how much he can do in four years to erode the American system. And whether that is a good thing or not.

American democracy was in crisis before Trump – he has just taken advantage of the opportunities offered. The USA needs to take a look at their system of government and determine if it still works. I would suggest it is outmoded. Or at .least the electoral process.

There are so many areas that to me are questionable – such as electing the people on the front lines of the judicial system. Judges and prosecutors who are elected seem to me to be beholden to popular sentiment and not to seeing justice done. That can be scary when you are at the mercy of the courts.

A bigger issue to some is the perceived rise of oligarchy, as Trump’s cabinet is studded with billionaires who stand to benefit from shifts of government policy. Going to Mars, as mentioned in the inaugural address, has long been a goal of Elon Musk and his firm SpaceX. Musk was very much at the forefront of the election campaign and the inauguration. Will this be a business-friendly administration, or will the public good be set aside to ensure maximized profits?

When Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister of Canada in 2015 I suggested there was no reason for concern. How much damge couod be do in four years? Turns out, quite a lot, and the voters kept rewarding him.

Given that, I think if Trump wants to do things that damage America he will do so, all while insisting he is Making America Great Again. So much boils down to perception.

The only thing I think can be said with certainty about the next four years is that there will be a fair amount of chaos in American politics. Because of the USA’s infkuence, that’s going to spread across much of the world.

For politics watchers, seatbelts should be mandatory.