I think that probably the worst possible president would be a competent and unifying demagogue who had the full support of the legislature.
Why is that a valid argument?
So things could be "worse"... that doesn't mean people have to accept things the way they are. After all, if you were stabbed by someone, you don't say "No big deal, it could be worse... I could have been stabbed and shot". You say "It really really sucks to be stabbed and it shouldn't happen".
One advantage to the two-party system is that it makes it very hard for a demagogue to be truly unifying.
Unifying to whom?
And the fact that Trump
isn't a unifying force makes his tenure even worse. He didn't get a majority in the election. Heck, he didn't even get a plurality. Yet he is acting as if he has a popular mandate. That is not good.
And that's one reason I think that a terrible president isn't an existential crisis for the US. Trump is a demagogue, but he's also incompetent and divisive. And while the GOP knows what side its bread is buttered on, Republicans in Congress don't actually have a lot of love for Donald Trump. He can nominate conservative judges...
I find it amazing about just how casually you can dismiss the concerns of people worried about the impact of conservative judges.
If a person is gay/trans, they should be concerned. If a person is a woman who will lose control over their body so that old white men can dictate access to abortion, they should be concerned. If they are a minority who risks losing the ability to vote because of voter suppression sanctioned by the supreme court, you should be concerned. But hey, you're a white male... so no big deal, eh?
Such is the way of bigotry.
and he can sign whatever bills the legislature happens to pass...
Part of the job of the president is to serve as a counter balance to congress. While Trump was not the author of the GOP tax bill that drove up the deficit, or of the health care bill, it should have been his responsibility to say "These bills will harm the country so I will veto them".
I also find it rather sad how you have ignored all the other problems his presidency is causing.
- The divisiveness, which can lead to violence. (After all, if you disenfranchise millions of people, why should they not respond with violence? Remember that's what started the American revolution... a government not responsive to the people)
- The harm to the economy that can be caused by executive authority... tariffs (implemented without congress) that threaten to sink the economy, and removal of financial regulations that will make any resulting recession much worse
- The loss of American influence in the world. Good luck getting support should the U.S. need allies in any military operation in the future. We've already seen that happen over Iran (where the E.U. is working to get around the U.S. plans for sanctions.)
The president has substantial authority outside of his ability to sign bills and nominate judges. And so far Trump seems to be using that authority in ways that harm the U.S.
But hey, I guess since you got Drunky McRapeface appointed to the supreme court, nothing else matters.