Oh how sad to be Mr Trump! It would be impossible, currently, to pick up a newspaper or scroll through social media without seeing his image several times, and reading the opinions that accompany it. He's the perfect cover page image, 'hair' waving and fingers gesticulating behind his grand slogan, and therein lies the problem.
Trump has often been credited with creating a 'brand', even before becoming a politician: The Apprentice and Miss America, the lifestyle and the tycoon status. Only recently has the brand been so publicly decorated with his views on immigration and religion, but the décor has stuck. It is, however, becoming increasingly obvious that one thing about Brand Trump has never changed - the man is a willing and compulsive liar. When asked about his plane, nicknamed 'Trump Force One', he told Rolling Stone that "It's bigger than Air Force One, which is a step down from this in every way." Nope. Trump's plane is over 75ft shorter, with a much smaller wingspan too. Similarly, two months ago, he claimed on Twitter that his hotel in Las Vegas is the "tallest/most beautiful building in town". Seth Rogen had to remind Trump that his hotel is, in fact, the fourth tallest building in Vegas. And just this week, his doctor came out to tell us that Trump is some kind of superhuman. If the purpose of this exaggeration was simply compensation for his obvious insecurities, this wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, Donald Trump is currently trying to become the most influential man in the world.
Just like his perception of towers and aeroplanes, Trump's sense of self is vastly overestimated - it is done so convincingly, though, that with each fresh outrageous statement he has most of us fooled. The danger is in believing that he is everything he says he is, and letting him get away with it. If you want to see the real extent of his fallacies, political fact-checker Politifact has a comprehensive list of Trump's statements, ruled on a scale from 'true' to 'pants-on-fire'.
The reality is that Trump is a very small man, exacerbating hatred and division, and then cashing in on it. The outrages and subsequent outraged response won't destroy his campaign whilst he still successfully carries the image of unbelievable wealth, immense support and answers every question in his typically evasive style. These things validate his image, and therefore his campaign.
And so I implore newspapers and news channels, journalists and talk-show hosts; when you encounter Mr Trump don't let him play by his own rules. Don't let him carry on dragging this election campaign through the dirt with his divisive statements whilst standing on a foundation of untruths. The headlines might sell slightly better, but please don't value profit over the truth, not when so much hangs in the balance. He's deceiving all of us. Call him out on every exaggeration and lie, and expose the sad little man behind them to the truth.
And to everyone reading the papers and watching the television - you can help too. Next time you encounter the inflated rhetoric of Donald Trump, check the facts yourself and then take a nice, sharp, metaphorical (please) razor and trim him down to size. If, like me, you suddenly find yourself picturing an obnoxious, pint-sized Pinocchio with a 100ft nose sitting on an oversized lectern you've found the real Mr Trump.