The US president’s grotesque theatrics on the world stage are an opportunistic distraction from his falling domestic ratings Of all the commandments for living under Donald Trump, the first is always this: don’t believe him. Nothing he says can be taken at face value; everything should be fed into a polygraph. Those of scrupulous courtesy can wrap it up in red ribbon, or uncork that aphorism about how the man must be taken seriously but never literally. All the same, scratch a Trump promise and underneath will glint a pretext. Scrutinise his grand plans and you find only shabby tactics. The Manhattan Democrat turns into a Florida-dwelling Republican; the troll who demanded Barack Obama’s birth certificate will hem and haw over releasing the Epstein files . From real-estate deals to Trump University , all that this guy swears is solid gold soon settles into so much bullshit. Aditya Chakrabortty is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...