Donald Trump made 30,573 “false or misleading” claims during his first term, according to a 2021 Washington Post analysis—averaging about 21 untruths per day. Now, as he seeks a second term, he continues to lie regularly to Americans and the world. His disregard for truth, evident again in his reprehensible response to the fatal shooting in Minneapolis, is dangerously immoral.
Last week, Trump claimed the only limit on his power is “my own morality, my own mind.” That speaks volumes. His sense of right and wrong is entirely subjective. He acts as his own ethical guide, legal counsel, and moral authority—a church of one. Trump deceives himself as much as he deceives others, and the consequences are destructive: costing lives, undermining democracy, and eroding trust between nations.
Like voters in the U.S., foreign leaders have grown used to the president’s constant dishonesty. But the cost of tolerating it—of not challenging it or taking a stand—grows exponentially as his behavior becomes more erratic and authoritarian. Trump’s lies are a recurring aggravating factor in three ongoing international crises.
For example, he falsely claims that Chinese and Russian warships are “all over the place” near Greenland, arguing this justifies a U.S. takeover. Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who knows the self-governing island well, has asked what ships he’s referring to. Greenlanders themselves dismiss Trump’s remarks as nonsense.
Denmark notes it invests billions in Greenland and that Trump’s claim of a flood of Chinese investment is another fabrication. Polls show Greenlanders oppose annexation or sale to the U.S. They prefer independence—a concept the U.S., which once broke from King George III, might be expected to understand. Trump says he wants to secure Greenland; in reality, he wants its mineral resources and to “make America bigger again.”
A stream of lies also preceded last weekend’s events in Venezuela. Trump baselessly labeled the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, a “narco-terrorist” cartel boss. His administration killed more than 100 people on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific on unproven suspicions of drug smuggling. He falsely declared the U.S. to be at war, illegally bypassing Congress’s constitutional authority.
The truth is, Trump has pursued a personal vendetta against Maduro since a failed regime-change plot in 2018. And as he now admits, the coup’s main goal isn’t to restore democracy—though he has belatedly agreed to meet opposition leader María Corina Machado. It isn’t to “rescue” Venezuela’s people or protect U.S. security. The goal is oil. Trump is shamelessly looting the country while also threatening Mexico, Cuba, and Colombia.
Trump claims to have a “plan” to run Venezuela indefinitely—another falsehood. With its military and militias still intact, Maduro’s repressive regime in place, and a determined opposition movement, the country is headed for a showdown. Only prolonged U.S. military intervention—which Trump is considering—could prevent chaos. He risks creating a quagmire in Latin America, right on Washington’s doorstep.
Speaking of quagmires, consider Ukraine—a third conflict where Trump’s failure to distinguish truth from falsehood causes immense harm. He lied when he claimed he could end the war with Russia in 24 hours. When that didn’t happen, he repeatedly promised to get tough with Vladimir Putin. Yet time after time, Putin—a seasoned liar himself—has deftly placated Trump, then resumed bombing. And time after time, Trump backs down, often blaming Ukraine’s innocent leader, Volodymyr Zelensky.Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Trump’s duplicity undermines allied efforts to sustain Kyiv’s struggle. One day he smugly accepts the fawning praise of NATO leaders; its secretary-general, Mark Rutte, calls him “Daddy.” The next, he mocks the alliance and claims Europe faces “civilizational erasure.” Last week he asserted NATO would not help the U.S. in an emergency—another lie. That is precisely what it did after the 9/11 attacks and throughout two decades of involvement in Afghanistan.
Today’s simultaneous crises—in Greenland, Venezuela, and Ukraine—share other common factors, aside from Trump’s dishonesty. In all three, the weakness and divisions of European leaders, and of the EU as an institution, have been alarmingly exposed. Surely now, finally, Europe must accept it cannot trust or rely on this president. In this daunting geopolitical context, Brexit no longer looks merely like a foolish mistake. It appears almost suicidal.
Disregard for international law, the flouting of sovereign rights and territorial independence, and the ongoing replacement of the UN-backed rules-based order with neo-imperial spheres of influence are evident in all three crises. So too is a failure to defend the democratic rights of ordinary people. The U.S. has presumptuously and illegally ruled out elections in Venezuela. Russia is trying to crush Ukraine’s democracy. Greenlanders insist they alone must decide their future. But who is listening to them?
Many of these broader trends were already well established. Yet Trump’s destabilizing, unprincipled, lawless, chaotic, and fundamentally immoral conduct in 2025 has undoubtedly acted as a catalyst and accelerant. Of all these ills, his moral turpitude is the greatest. It corrupts, bedevils, darkens, and poisons the humanity of the world. It is toxic to all it touches. Trumpism is a corrosive disease. Its latest victims are in Minneapolis and Portland. In truth, they are everywhere.
To adapt Mark Twain: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and Donald Trump.” Americans and their overly hesitant friends in Britain and Europe must be more forceful in speaking truth to power—before, like the much-reviled George III, Trump does something truly reckless.
Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about the topic framed in a natural conversational tone
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 Whats the connection between Greenland Venezuela and Ukraine
These are three distinct places where former US President Donald Trump made controversial false or ethically questionable statements about territorial sovereignty suggesting the US could purchase or acquire them
2 What did Trump actually say about these places
Greenland He publicly confirmed his interest in the US purchasing the autonomous Danish territory calling it a large real estate deal Denmark called the idea absurd
Venezuela He repeatedly falsely claimed that the US was going to Venezuela to take over and get the oil contradicting official US policy
Ukraine He pressured Ukraines president to investigate his political rival Joe Biden by withholding vital military aidan act for which he was first impeached for abuse of power
3 What is meant by Europes persistent lack of resolve
It refers to the longstanding criticism often voiced by US officials that European NATO members do not spend enough on their own defense relying too heavily on the US for security especially in crises like Russias war against Ukraine
4 How are Trumps statements and Europes resolve connected in this context
The connection is that Trumps transactional view of alliances and his spreading of falsehoods about sovereign nations undermined trust in the US This in turn exposed and exacerbated Europes historical difficulty in achieving strategic autonomy and unified decisive action
AdvancedLevel Questions
5 Whats the deeper ethical issue with lumping Greenland Venezuela and Ukraine together in this way
It demonstrates a consistent pattern of treating sovereign nations not as partners with their own agency but as commodities to be purchased resources to be seized or tools for domestic political gain This erodes diplomatic norms and international law
6 Didnt Trump have a point about European NATO spending
Yes the data supported his core complaintmany allies were not meeting the agreed 2 of GDP defense spending target
