Irish Examiner View: Donald Trump called to book

President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order on the "White House Hispanic Prosperity Initiative," in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, July 9, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US president Donald Trump may shrug off highly critical books by his niece Mary L. Trump and former national security advisor John Bolton, even if they are just the latest in a growing library of publications warning of the impact his behaviour has on America and the idea that there is still a place, no matter how tenuous the toehold, for honesty in the public square. International doubts about his gross unsuitability for office have intensified since his announcement that America would withdraw from the World Health Organisation.

Trump will dismiss those books and criticism of the WHO betrayal with his usual bile, but he cannot dismiss yesterday’s ruling by America’s Supreme Court that he, and his tax affairs, are not above the law. Though the opinion is not a victory for Trump, it does buy him time ensuring the matter won’t be settled before the November election.