Most of us have heard the story of little George Washington chopping down the cherry tree and then admitting his guilt because he was unable to tell a lie. That tale actually inspired me when I was little girl. Even after learning that it is probably just a folktale I would like to think that Washington was a man of integrity even without made up stories.

Like most of us I doubt that George never fudgeed a bit with the truth here and there but on the whole he seems to have been a man of high character. A truly great person like Washington can be trusted to lead with honor and integrity. We all feel comfortable when someone has demonstrated their commitment to being forthright. Trust is essential in both interpersonal relationships and in our government.

There is no worse feeling than learning that someone has betrayed us with lies. Dishonesty destroys marriages, ruins careers, hurts the victims in profound ways. Who among us has not had that sick feeling of realizing that someone that we trusted has lied and cheated behind our backs? Most of the time when we discover extreme dishonesty we have a difficult time ever again believing in that individual.

Since we are human each of us may have fudged in small ways here and there. Maybe we withheld disclosure of a disobedient act from a parent. Perhaps we acted as though we liked a dish that was served to us in order to spare the feelings of the cook. At times we may have said we were feeling sick as an excuse for skipping a situation that we did not wish to endure. These are the kind of small lies that can usually be forgiven as long as they do not become a habit. 

When someone is continually dishonest most of us reach a point of seeing them as unwilling to tell the truth. The old Aesop fable The Boy Who Cried Wolf is a wonderful example of what happens when lies become so commonplace that nothing the person says is ever again viewed as plausible. We tend to tune such folks out and more often than not and sometimes remove them from our list of friends. 

Because turning our backs on chronic liars is generally how we react, I have yet to understand why millions of people continue to believe the constant stream of lies that flow from the mouth of Donald Trump. It’s easy enough to fact check what he says and doing so reveals that he all too often makes up things on the spot. He boasts about successes that do not exist. He blames others for things that he has done. He sees the world through a lens of anger, greed, cruelty and vengeance so he tells untruths to support his own sick visions. 

Donals Trump surely knows that he did not win the 2020 presidential election and yet he still peddles that falsehood as though he is a victim of unfairness. He pretends that the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 was a travesty only imagined by people out to get him. He tells us that up is down and many believe him. He bullies the media when he does not like the facts that they present. He cloaks his every word in deep dark deception. 

I frankly will never comprehend why Donald Trump, a convicted felon, is not in prison. I do not understand how he was even allowed to run for president again after all of the lies that he has told. I am profoundly shocked that the Supreme Court would even consider giving such a dishonest person immunity for acts performed as part of his duties. Trump lied to us about Covid. He lied to us about his financial crimes. He lied to us about his sexual abuse of women. In spite of his dishonesty a significant number of voters saw him as being worthy of our trust by making him president one more time. Some of them even imagined that he was sent to us by God.

I weep for the Orwellian masking of truth that is rapidly making it more and more impossible to know what is really happening. Trump and his cult have gone so far beyond the traditional rails of honesty that he even fired a person who provided a true job report because he did not like the numbers. He wants to monitor CBS to make sure that they do not report anything about him that reveals truths that make him look bad. How did we get to this point and why are we not angry as hell and insisting that we are not going to take it anymore?

Richard Nixon was reviled and pressured to resign for far less dishonesty than Donald Trump inflicts on the American people every single day. Trump is a destroyer of worlds. He has turned the Oval Office into a mini throne room where he regularly insults good people seemingly for his personal enjoyment. He has torn out the lovely rose garden that was once designed by Jackie Kennedy and replaced it with a concrete slab that is symbolic of his coldness. Now he wants to build a ballroom that seems more compatible with Versailles than the People’s House. He lies when someone accuses him of wanting to be a king. His actions tell us the truth and that truth is a horror.   

I feel betrayed every single time Trump stands before a camera and makes up word salads that do not have an iota of truth. Mostly though I feel betrayed when most of the media goes along with him knowing that he is telling fib after fib. It’s way past time to hold him responsible every single time he utters a falsehood. We all have to have the courage to push for the truth. Ignoring him just gives him a wider berth. Fearing him insures that he will never be held accountable.