Yes, the truth still matters

Pittsburgh

OF all the questions that the ascendancy of Donald Trump has raised - on the value of political experience in governing, on the fitness of business executives as government executives or the profile of the Republicans as defenders of the rich and the Democrats as the sentinels of the poor - none is as perplexing as perhaps the central question of the age: Does the truth still matter?

It emerged again recently when reports surfaced that the president, who had previously acknowledged his presence on the Access Hollywood videotape, has suggested that he did not make the comments on the tape. He also resumed questioning whether Barack Obama was born in the United States - despite having said he accepted it as true last year. In a speech, Mr Trump, contradicting almost every analysis of the tax bill, said the measure would hurt wealthy people, including himself.