Legitimacy is the quality of being legitimate or "being in accordance with the law".
In terms of governance, legitimacy means the legal recognition of the right to govern.
When a leader devolves into illicit, illegal and fraudulent acts, then that person's legitimacy of rule is challenged and nullified.
Twisting the truth, lying in manipulation once fact checked and debunked calls into the credibility of the person lying and defrauding.
When someone's word cannot be trusted and that person's word of honor means nothing, then any subsequent deal or dealing is not worth anything.
The liar-cheater will likely find new ways of defrauding, scamming and exploiting to his advantage and not care or take into account anyone else's interests or needs.
Such a leader is not to be trusted, because in the end this person's loyalties are not with the people or humanity.
This corrupt and inept leader's motto is definitely not "ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country"*.
Aggression, fraud, lies and game cheats are not legitimate ways of credible governance and any support of such corruption erodes that government's standing, credibility and legitimacy with the world.
*President John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address,
January 20, 1961
