It is becoming increasingly clear to me that we are in the midst of an era that we might call governance as performance art. The officials who have been entrusted with the gravest responsibilities demonstrate daily that they are performing a role rather than tackling the complicated tasks. Here are several examples from the last few months.

• Kristi Noem’s photo op in front of cowed detainees in a Salvadorean prison.
• The fact that the immigration operation in Maine was named “Catch of the Day,” as though rounding up, detaining, and deporting people was a lark, akin to a day fishing on a Maine lake.
• Publishing the videos of airstrikes on Venezuelan fishing boats as though they were taken from video games.
• Then, actually creating and publishing a mash-up of air strikes on Iranian targets, and including clips from video games, cartoons and sports events.
• Pete Hegseth’s macho pronouncements about the attacks in Iran: “We are punching them while they are down.” “They are toast.” “No more stupid rules of engagement.” “We will give them no quarter, no mercy.” (If followed to the letter, these last two would be war crimes.).
• Kash Patel’s announcement that agents will be trained by UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) athletes.

There are many more examples of these role-playing “officials” who are crushing our shared American values and destroying our standing in the world. I tremble to think of what the next three years of this administration will bring.

Susan Trask
Auburn