I was happy to read that KUOW, an NPR station in Seattle, has stopped live airing Trump’s rallies (a.k.a. “briefings”). They have, they say, not enough time to fact-check Trump’s mendacious ramblings, so they are going to present a post-examination coverage of what Trump has to say. They call Trump’s deceits “false information,” and assert that false information has a disastrous effect on public health and national security. I heartily agree, but I would not use the term “false information,” but would prefer to use the simple noun “LIES.”

His very presence through these briefings is a lie, the lie being that Trump is in charge and is taking prompt and constructive steps to deal with the crises. In the tradition of the “big lie,” he uses his time on the air to keep repeating his lies, ignoring informed contradiction and blocking it out. The improvement of his approval rating suggests that his deceits are having their effect on the Trump addicts and the unobservant.

People in public life need to become far more aggressive in telling the country that Trump is not-to-be-believed and, in a crisis like this, should be ignored.