Your credibility as a spokesperson for the U.S. government is everything, and the consequences of losing it are potentially very serious. The same Trump administration personnel putting forward inaccurate statistics about Metro ridership and the size of the crowd on the national mall are the same ones who will – at a moment’s notice – be called on to explain President Trump’s decision to use force on the battlefield or rally our allies if we were attacked. They are the same people who need to call out foreign hackers intruding into our networks or talk about where to seek help after a natural disaster. Our fellow citizens and leaders in foreign capitals alike should not be left to debate why there is a contrast between the Trump administration and empirical analysis available to the rest of the world.
