Trump optimizes every statement he makes such that if true and relevant, the statement would place him in the best possible light. In the vast majority of cases, the result is a false or misleading statement that sends the fact checkers scurrying to debunk it, or compare it with something Obama or Clinton did (or did not do), thus wasting energy on a fruitless task while Trump moves on to the next self-protecting statement. Irrelevant statements that are true (or may be, such as "I can not release my tax returns because they are under audit) need to be considered in the same category as the lies and other distractions. And the "birther lie" was not a lie. It was an evil, baseless opportunistic claim that was false and degrading. "Show us your papers. We are in charge, not you."
When our objective media agonizes over whether or not to call Trump a liar they fall into the trap of inefficient and ineffective analysis. Unfortunately, constantly telling lies works better than ever telling the truth as a strategy to control the narrative, along with never admitting fault and never accepting responsibility. Our objective media has always relied on tilting prevailing narratives toward the truth by pointing out false statements. With a persistent opportunistic liar in power, journalists need to stop evaluating Trump using traditional methods and instead describe which type of lie he is most likely telling on each occasion. For example, when, five days ago, Trump pointed to the White House window for journalists to look at Melania, but no one saw her, the proper response is not to presume she was there or even may have been there. Instead, presume the lie with Trump always, always, always - OK, Melania is obviously not in the White House or anywhere nearby. She has probably left Washington.
And please let's not rely on White House aides for their take on what goes on in Trump's head at any time, especially because he gives us so many tells.
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