The entirety of our government that is elected, is a facade whose sole purpose is to absorb and justify its legitimacy. The actual power is nowhere near a ballot, and while a lot of people know this, there would probably be a critical mass of rebellious minds if those facades came down. The presidency and congress are essential in that sense - they create legitimacy for the unelected state. Without that legitimacy, their fight is suddenly domestic.

That element of the government is already preparing for real domestic rebellion - the militarization of police and the large swaths of the DoD's domestic army is entirely to answer that specific kind of unrest. It's also why the militarized right wing is almost entirely run by state assets.

So, yes america needs a president, just not the way normies think lol