Trump and truth - White House under fire

The Oval Office has rarely if ever been occupied by men without blemishes of one kind or another on their character.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were among the US presidents who owned slaves. Richard Nixon was a self-pitying crook. Jimmy Carter, along with Bill Clinton and Jack Kennedy, had problems with lust.

But, with Nixon as the possible exception, few have tested the spirit of the 35-word presidential inauguration oath — “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States” — more audaciously than the current office-holder.

Former FBI director James Comey says Mr Trump is “someone for whom truth is not a high value”. Ex-secretary of state Rex Tillerson, pointing his finger at leaders who seek to “conceal the truth”, warned this week that democracy and freedom in the US are threatened by a “crisis of ethics and integrity”.

The significant feature of these damning assessments is that they come not from the usual suspects who speak for the liberal East and West coast coteries of which Trump is so scathing but from people who champion the conservative values of Middle America.

Mr Trump will not step down without a fight — be it in an impeachment process or a re-election campaign — but there is now a growing gathering of influential critics of all parties.