Can’t trust Trump; that’s a big deal

Our intelligence agencies have concluded Russia meddled in the 2016 elections. But President Trump doesn’t believe them, preferring to embrace fake news and believe Russian President Putin. Apparently, he does not comprehend the danger. Trump’s lack of truthfulness is central to the Russia investigation, and in his book James Comey called him “untethered to truth.”

At least 97 percent of climate scientists agree: Climate-warming trends over the past century are likely due to human activities. But he doesn’t believe them. Also troubling is his own inclination toward exaggeration and untruthfulness. His political rise was founded on lies that Obama was a Muslim and not an American citizen.

As of May 1, in the 466 days since becoming president, he made 3,001 false or misleading claims, an average of nearly 6.5 claims/day, according to The Fact Checker’s database that analyzes suspect statements uttered by the president.

A president who spends so much time misrepresenting the truth is without precedent. Every president has occasionally “shaded” the truth, but no other president has been so reckless with it. It seems we cannot trust our president to speak the truth. To me, that’s a big deal.

Sam Bledsoe Lenoir City, Tenn.