Many of us are frustrated by Republican President Donald Trump’s constant stream of lies. That his Administration plays along and invents their own lies, in combination with their public support of even his most outrageous falsehoods, makes it very, very dangerous. And then there is the constant stench of scandal throughout the administration. It seems as if there are hidden agendas and ulterior motives with far too many members of the administration, including the President himself.

Sure, it’s good material for comedians and blog writers, and it hurts his ability to implement his destructive legislation. But in a crisis, it is lack of credibility is going to be a very big problem. Other than his staunch supporters, the American people don’t believe or trust him. Foreign leaders also don’t seem to respect or trust him. His Administration is largely filled with political operatives that have supported him or his causes over recent history, and they have very little credibility either. When they stand in front of the media and the American people and continue to perpetrate his lies, they certainly aren’t helping their (or his) credibility.

If you look back to our country in times of crisis, history has repeatedly shown how valuable the hand and voice of a cool, steady, credible leader are.

Consider the financial meltdown of 2008 and the ability of George W Bush and his outgoing Administration, calmly and carefully considering what to do, and then working with incoming President Barack Obama to take make some stop gap decisions to stem the bleeding. Then consider the calm, cool, rational words and actions of President Barack Obama in getting the country back on track. Many argue the recovery could have been faster and stronger. That may be, but we will never know. What is certain is that it could have gone much worse. The banking system could have collapsed. The auto industry could have also collapsed. Both of those would have had far more dire consequences to our country and the world.

Consider the lack of action taken after Hurricane Katrina and how the panic and distress set in. That was a classic example of poor handling of a crisis.

But perhaps there is no more dramatic and potentially dire crisis in our history than the Cuban Missile Crisis. The world came perilously close to nuclear Armageddon. Fortunately, the calm cool leadership of President John F. Kennedy ruled the day and while it was way too close for comfort, the unfathomable didn’t happen. Something that really stands out during the crisis was that, in trying to build world support for his actions, President Kennedy dispatched former Secretary of State Dean Acheson to Paris. Acheson went to French President Charles De Gaulle to offer to show him the CIA’s highly classified surveillance photos of the Cuban missile sites. In response, President de Gaulle said he had no need to see the pictures because,”The word of the president of the United States is good enough for me.”

It is hard to imagine that happening in today’s environment. Donald Trump has very little respect or credibility anywhere in the world. Even Vladimir Putin, who tampered with our election to get Trump elected, seems to have little respect of him.

So we should all be extremely concerned about what is going to happen when that first crisis hits this administration. They seem unprepared to lead or deal with a crisis. They have an aversion to facts. And they have little credibility with the American people or leaders around the world.