Jeff you are correct that the US is more than one man. The US system is protected by many checks and balances and Congress holds the purse strings. But it is the President who largely manages foreign affairs. Mr Trump, and his nationalist agenda is wasting its considerable  goodwill and the soft power it has amassed since WWII. The world order is changing, and not necessarily for the better.

I worry about the same issues you do in your post. I just don't think Mr Trump is up for the challenge. And no matter how good his Sec of Defence and State may be they answer to him. Our world is more dangerous than it has ever been.