Donald Trump says a lot of things that aren’t true to justify things he wants to do. He exaggerates and speaks falsehoods either because he doesn’t know the difference or doesn’t care. It’s also possible that he believes a lie repeated often enough becomes the truth. Whatever the reason, he’s concocted a case for tariffs against the whole world, including his largest and most supportive trading partners. He lauded “the art of the deal” but his bold black signature on the Canada-USA-Mexico free-trade agreement wasn’t worth the paper it’s Sharpied on. Mr. Trump doesn’t want deals, he wants domination. A great many people in the United States believe every word he says and everything he does. Their devotion -- coupled with the stunning silence of Republicans who know better -- is enabling him to take a wrecking ball to the global economy. But it would be a mistake to believe that a majority of Americans support the president, his tactics or his tariffs. Mr. Trump won the presidency with 77 million votes, a plurality, not a majority, let alone a landslide. Not even all of those millions likely support everything he’s doing. Those who don’t and all those who have been bullied into silence now face a choice: speak up now or prepare to endure America’s new role as a global pariah, a nation that can no longer be trusted, let alone followed. Those who do put their faith in everything Mr. Trump says might want to consider what he wrote in 2009, before he was a politician: “The worst things in history have happened when people stop thinking for themselves, especially when they allow themselves to be influenced by negative people. That’s what gives rise to dictators. Avoid that at all costs.” His words. Proving not everything he says is untrue.
