Letter to the Editor: Governing via spectacle
Published 1:00 pm Wednesday, June 24, 2026
“This Sunday night’s UFC spectacle on the South Lawn…captures something about this moment in our history. It’s vulgar, violent, commercial, grandiose, tacky and it dishonors a place once once thought worthy of care and respect. In other words, it’s Donald Trump.” – Bill Kristol, conservative commentator and editor of The Bulwark
While Americans worry about rising costs for gasoline, epidemic gun violence, access to affordable healthcare, retirement security and the future of our democracy; Trump doesn’t care “even a little bit about people’s finances.” Donald Trump only appears increasingly preoccupied with spectacle.
As New York Knicks fans poured into Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals, they encountered the heightened security and disruptions that accompany a presidential appearance. The irony was striking. Frump has repeatedly attacked so-called Blue cities, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, erases Black American history and whose rhetoric has often deepened racial divisions, seemed eager to bask in the glow of a sporting event featuring some of the world’s finest athletes; the majority of whom are Black.
Public benefit for Trump’s excesses is questionable and dubious. The appearance at the NBA Finals was merely the latest stop on an endless tour of self-promotion. Whether at the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500, UFC events, military parades, political rallies using the troops, golf tournaments, or other made-for-television spectacles. Trump appears far more interested in being seen than in being a steward of the nation’s affairs. Meanwhile, the execrable Trump name is plastered everywhere (except the Kennedy Center): on the DOJ building, hotels, golf resorts, office towers, merchandise, books, licensing agreements, fundraising appeals, digital ventures, cryptocurrency enterprises, and a seemingly endless stream of products and promotions. Never has a modern president so aggressively blurred the line between public office and private profit.
Sunday’s UFC cage-fighting event on White House grounds, reducing one of America’s most important civic symbols to a backdrop for yet another spectacle. One is left to wonder: while the cameras follow Donald Trump from one publicity event to the next, who is attending to the responsibilities of governing?
Public office is supposed to be about serving the nation, not serving a personal brand. Americans deserve a president focused on governing rather than constantly seeking the spotlight, monetizing his fame, and treating public institutions as extensions of his marketing operation. It continues to be nauseating and demoralizing that 77 million people voted for Trump again. What have we done? Once again, with emphasis: What have we done? We were doomed.
Stanley McKie
Enumclaw
