There were guardrails, but most of them are just litter on the side of the road now. The supreme Court has essentially justified any action he takes, Congress will not dare to oppose anything he wants, and he is appointing toadies and lickspittles to the highest offices of the land. Oh, and he is reclassifying all the major bureaucrats as political appointees so they can be fired at will.
It really is as bad as it seems.
New countries typically don’t start without a significant percentage of their population dying in conflict. Certainly a place that has as many guns as the US does not have a good chance for a peaceful transition.
Not that I actually believe a new country is even remotely possible. There will be decades if not centuries of decline.