The Meaning of America

In Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler wrote, “The victor will not be asked afterwards, whether he told the truth or not.”

When Donald Trump entered politics we were shocked at the blatancy  of his lies. After years we are more accustomed to his lying, but we have never accepted it.

The press dutifully confronts Trump about his endless lies. In response , Trump attacks the press as being rude or he labels the press as “Fake News” or “ enemies of the people”. With name-calling and lies, Trump relentlessly attacks the credibility of those that challenge his lies.

Most of us were raised to believe that being honest and telling the truth were paramount. Telling a lie was forbidden. Our first President could not tell a lie. We were taught, particularly in Texas,  that a man  was only as good as his word.

So why does President Donald Trump continue to lie? Trump knows that we know he is lying and he does not care. Trump is not constrained by the moral code to which the rest of us adhere. He lies because Trump agrees with Hitler, that the victor will never be asked if he told the truth. To Trump, telling the truth is not important. To Trump, his willingness to lie is a strength. While weaker people are constrained by the truth, Trump lies and redefines the truth as he sees fit.

Trump expects loyalty from those who work for him. His test of their loyalty is whether or not they will support his lies. Those who support Trump’s lies, win Trump’s praise, those who don’t are dispatched and condemned.

The rest of us must combat Trump’s lies; his steady erosion of the truth. We cannot live in a world of lies. That is why we must always support the free press; those who question lies and seek the  truth.

What our parents taught us was right. A man is only as good as his word. When we measure Trump by this standard, his worth or lack thereof is all too  clear.