Editor’s Note: This Letter to the Editor was submitted by UNI Professor Emeritus of Marketing, Steve Corbin.

In card games, `trump’ is considered the suit of cards ranking above the others in a particular hand.  Trump is also the surname of the 45th president of the United States.  While examining mainstream conservative, centrist and liberal media outlets on what they considered was the number one story of 2018, it may well be that “Trumping Trump” as the lead story is hard to ignore.

Here’s a sample of the most touted stories of 2018:  1) 50 million Facebook users’ personal information was compromised, 2) “President Trump” is the most scandal-marred president of our lifetime (100 criminal counts charged against 33 people associated with Trump), 3) Democrats took control of the U.S. House with a turnover of 42 seats and 4) global climate change; carbon emissions rose 3.4 percent in 2018 (the biggest increase in eight years).

Other recommended top stories include: Brexit, Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation, #MeToo fallout and movement, the Trump-Russia probe, children of asylum-seeking parents being separated from their families, Parkland school shooting, March for Our Lives rallies, 78 environmental rules eliminated by Trump, 307 mass shootings in USA, Trump’s international trade war, immigration morass, worldwide stock market volatility, $2 trillion increase of federal deficit to $22 trillion, murder of U.S. citizen and Washington Post journalist Jamaal Khashoggi by Saudi Arabia operatives and Donald Trump’s “I am proud to shut down the government” fulfillment.

But, to me, after all is said and done, frequently more is said than is done. The number one story of 2018 was Donald Trump’s habitual and compulsive lying—averaging 16 “alternative” facts per day.  It’s well accepted that pathological lying is usually a symptom of a personality disorder and narcissism.

For example, there once was a political candidate who said, 212 times, the United States would build a wall along the Mexico-U.S. border and “Mexico will pay for it.”  Now, that same person says he never said that . . . 212 times.

Once a person starts to lie and continues to lie, daily, all trust has been lost, and in the case of Donald J. Trump, by the people he represents . . . you, me and the vast majority of Americans that truly care about the welfare of our country.

What’s the ripple effect of losing trust in America’s Pinocchio-in-Chief?  Maybe of most importance is America’s 198 trading allies and partners, which took 70 years to build a trusting relationship with, are now purposely transferring their trade to other countries.  Likewise, China, Russia and India are aggressively pursuing our heretofore allies for trading purposes.  These endeavors will hurt America’s small businesses, corporations, employees, stockholders, citizens, stock market investors and retirees where it hurts, in their respective pocket book.

• A single lie is enough to create doubt in every truth expressed. . .I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you. . .I’m a good enough person to forgive you, but not stupid enough to trust you again. . . tell a lie once and all your truths become questionable. . .trust takes years to build, seconds to break and forever to repair.

Albert Einstein observed “Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted in important affairs.”  Trump’s pathological lying has thrown you and me under the bus and placed America in harm’s way on multiple fronts.  Our 535 U.S. Congressional delegates have failed representing us by not holding Trump accountable for his unguided leadership and moral decay.  Those who continue to support Trump are putting America in great peril.