The abrupt firing of James B. Comey as FBI director revealed an enduring truth about the next four years — there will never be a normal day as long as Donald Trump is in the White House. When things seem placid and uneventful in this administration, it is probably because we do not yet know about the abnormalities that are transpiring beneath the surface.

Tuesday seemed like an ordinary spring day in Washington. There were no high-octane congressional hearings, legislative showdowns or significant protests in the streets. Even the FBI director felt secure enough in his position to leave town to attend a meeting in the Los Angeles field office.

What naifs we were from Comey on down.

Suddenly, we are expected to believe that Attorney General Jeff Sessions (who had promised to recuse himself from all matters relating to Russia) and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein (on the job for just two weeks) had secretly decided on their own initiative to recommend that the president oust Comey.

And then — as a wise executive, acting on the recommendations from his team at the Justice Department — Trump decided on the spot to fire Comey by letter like he might discharge an underperforming painting contractor at one of his hotels.