Legitimacy vs. Credibility

I'm worried more about credibility than legitimacy, when it comes the presidency of Donald Trump. What do I mean by that?

Years ago, for my Facebook profile, I wrote that I am a registered independent and tend to favor the candidate I feel is best able to think critically about the issues.

I think this orientation comes from my years in journalistic, where I was often able to ask politicians one-on-one questions.  Politician get asked the same questions all the time, and they often have answers that are mentally pre-recorded. It is natural that when you talk about the same thing all the time, you tend to use the same language.

It was always my goal to find a fresh question, something they had NOT been asked a dozen times already that day.  This made for good news, but it also allowed me to see how the politician reacted when the answer was NOT pre-recorded.  To be blunt, some politicians gave much more credible answers than others.

Republicans are bandying about accusations that Democrats are trying to "de-legitimize" Trump's presidency.  It's a self-contradictory argument because they did the same thing throughout the Obama presidency.  But regardless, it is a red herring.

Not very many people think Trump was not elected legally.  All of the Wikileaks and FBI interference still resulted in an election that was conducted legally.

My concern is in the credibility of the new administration. i.e. the quality of being trustworthy and believable.  My concern is that the Trump campaign and transition period has produced a marked lack of credibility.

• He frequently repeats incorrect information and debunked claims
• He responds to critiques with insults, not logical counter-points
• He has nominated many high-ranking officials who are likely to be bad for the work of the offices/departments they will lead
• He often contradicts himself, up to and including claiming he didn't say something we can see him clearly say in video
• He is an inexperienced newbie in the realm of governing a national and international relations

I have a friend who repeatedly has told me "give Trump a chance."  The trouble is, he has been part of the political world for months, and has been a public figure for years. He is not starting out fresh with no track record.

He has clearly demonstrated that he doesn't make decisions based on evidence and that his ego is more important than doing the right thing.

We should not expect him to change when he takes the oath of office.  He will be the same person who ignores facts, seeks revenge for those who oppose him, and is fundamentally untrustworthy.

Because I do not trust or believe him, based on his track record, it means that to me he has no credibility in the role of president.