Why did I write this article? 為什么寫這篇文章?
美國自冷戰(zhàn)之后作為世界上唯一的超級強國，不僅在全球地緣政治經(jīng)濟上有著各種各樣的影響，美國文化，社會觀念，公開所倡導的價值觀也在影響著全球的人們，但是特朗普政府似乎在帶領(lǐng)著美國向里看(inward)，向回看(backward)，而不是向外看(outward)，向前看(forward)。某種意義上來講，這是個遺憾。
從16年美國大選開始，我突然對美國政治感興趣，在網(wǎng)上通過讀傳統(tǒng)美國新聞，在油管上持續(xù)關(guān)注各種政治類脫口秀，同時我也和來自中國，美國，還有世界各地的朋友們，進行關(guān)于美國政治現(xiàn)況的討論，這其中大部分是liberal，也有中間派，也有非常Pro-Trump的極右翼朋友，但是一直讓我困擾的是，大家獲取信息的渠道完全不同，導致對特朗普的印象也完全不同，大體包括：
1. ?特朗普應該是一概不懂怎么去領(lǐng)導一個國家，他甚至都不是一個好的商人，而且他的想法是極端邪惡，危險和無知的，甚至通俄
2. 特朗普應該是表面裝傻，但其實大智若愚，做出的舉措都是為了美國的國家利益
3. 特朗普的行為，極其不符合一個領(lǐng)導人的道德上的標準，但是他在經(jīng)濟上的行為符合我的利益
4. 特朗普做的一切都是合理的，禁止變性人群參軍，讓越境的非法移民與孩子分離，對朝核問題強硬，把美國撤出各大國際聯(lián)合組織，and he's putting America First and Making America Great Again
我一直以來沒有辦法找到一個可信度高的信息源去徹底了解特朗普的白宮是否真的如此混亂，特朗普本人到底是否極端，他在做這些決策的時候，真的是基于合理的邏輯分析嗎？
Bob Woodward's new book, Fear: Trump in the White House
我在Stephen Colbert的show上，看了他簡短的關(guān)于他新書的訪談，里面有大量的關(guān)于特朗普白宮的具體事件的細節(jié)，立即引起了我的好奇。原來Bob Woodward就是華盛頓郵報當年報道尼克松水門事件的記者之一，他的報道最終引發(fā)尼克松的辭職。他是新聞普利策獎兩次獲得人，目前寫了18本關(guān)于美國政府的書，13本被列外最佳暢銷書籍。這本書的背后是詳細的信息來源和私下的真實對話，加上他的職業(yè)道德和職業(yè)生涯，這應該是關(guān)于特朗普白宮信息量最大的可靠信息來源。
我上周讀完了這本書，每一個章節(jié)對每個事件細節(jié)的描述都是那么的具體，而且美國中期大選在即，回看這兩年發(fā)生的各個不可思議的事件，真的是有趣的回味。
總結(jié)來說：特朗普和我的猜想一樣，他的想法貌似停留在美國的六七十年代，不僅對外交，地緣政治一無所知，在經(jīng)濟學上缺少根本性的認知。
他的想法總是飄忽不定，也許他是不邪惡的，但這個人沒有同理心，他身邊的advisor利用他充滿populism色彩的總統(tǒng)大選，在秘密地推動著這些邪惡的目的。
最開始給白宮帶來穩(wěn)定的“成年人”們，國防大臣General Mattis，國務卿Rex Tillerson，經(jīng)濟顧問Gary Cohn，白宮辦公廳秘書 Rob Porter，已經(jīng)相繼離去，首席幕僚長 John Kelly已經(jīng)和Trump關(guān)系逐漸惡化, where is this all going and where are we all going?
在讀Bob Woodward的書的時候，Trump的行為和言語大部分讓我覺得好笑，有的事件細節(jié)讓我震驚，有些細節(jié)甚至讓我覺得恐怖。我將這些clips整理，提煉，歸類，希望對美國政治有興趣的人覺得這些信息是有用的。
Clips that I find funny
“Do we call 60 Minutes?” Kellyanne Conway asked. She proposed a public confessional. “You can’t do it Sunday because the debate’s on Sunday.?.?.?. Or you call ABC or NBC and have him on the sofa with Ivanka on one side and Melania on the other, basically crying, saying I apologize.” Melania Trump had come down and wandered behind the sofa where Conway was proposing they sit. It was clear she was seething. “Not doing that,” Melania said in her Slovenian accent.
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 607-611
“I’m Rob Porter, Mr. President. I’m your staff secretary.” It was clear Trump had no clue what that was or who Porter was. Jared told Trump that Porter was going to structure and order Trump’s life. Trump looked at the two of them as if to say, What are you talking about? You’re not doing anything like that. No one’s going to do that. The president walked away without saying anything to find a TV screen.
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 2184-2187
Navarro handed the memo to Porter to be forwarded to Trump and Priebus. Porter was trying to present himself as the honest broker but he had taught economics at Oxford and was convinced that Navarro’s views were outdated and unsupportable. As far as Porter was concerned Navarro was a member of the Flat Earth Society on trade deficits, like the president himself.
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 2211-2213
One day in the Oval Office, Cohn brought in the latest job numbers to Trump and Pence. “I have the most perfect job numbers you’re ever going to see,” Cohn said. “It’s all because of my tariffs,” Trump said. “They’re working.” Trump had yet to impose any tariffs, but he believed they were a good idea and knew Cohn disagreed with him. “You’re a fucking asshole,” Cohn said, half-joking and smacking Trump gently on the arm.
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 2726-2730
The president and the first lady had separate bedrooms in the residence. Trump had a giant TV going much of the time, alone in his bedroom with the clicker, the TiVo and his Twitter account. Priebus called the presidential bedroom “the devil’s workshop” and the early mornings and dangerous Sunday nights “the witching hour.” There was not much he could do about the mornings, but he had some control over the weekend schedule. He started scheduling Trump’s Sunday returns to the White House later in the afternoon. Trump would get to the White House just before 9 p.m. when MSNBC and CNN generally turned to softer programming that did not focus on the immediate political controversies and Trump’s inevitable role in them.
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 3005-3010
All the air seemed to have come out of Tillerson. He could not abide Trump’s attack on the generals. The president was speaking as if the U.S. military was a mercenary force for hire. If a country wouldn’t pay us to be there, then we didn’t want to be there. As if there were no American interests in forging and keeping a peaceful world order, as if the American organizing principle was money. “Are you okay?” Cohn asked him. “He’s a fucking moron,” Tillerson said so everyone heard.
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 3455-3459
It seems clear that many of the president’s senior advisers, especially those in the national security realm, are extremely concerned with his erratic nature, his relative ignorance, his inability to learn, as well as what they consider his dangerous views.”
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 3476-3477
At one point Trump said he had decided to impose tariffs. “Great,” Cohn said. “The stock market will be down 1,000 or 2,000 points tomorrow, but you’ll be happy. Right, sir?” “No, no, meeting’s over! Let’s not do anything.”
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 3562-3565
“If you have natural predators at the table,” Priebus said, “things don’t move.” So the White House was not leading on key issues like health care and tax reform. Foreign policy was not coherent and often contradictory. “Why?” asked Priebus. “Because when you put a snake and a rat and a falcon and a rabbit and a shark and a seal in a zoo without walls, things start getting nasty and bloody. That’s what happens.”
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 3635-3639
“That was the greatest show of self-control I have ever seen. If that was me, I would have taken that resignation letter and shoved it up his ass six different times.” John F. Kelly
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 3834-3835
Same problem, Cohn said. “You’re just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.”
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 4194-4194
Grievance was a big part of Trump’s core, very much like a 14-year-old boy who felt he was being picked on unfairly. You couldn’t talk to him in adult logic. Teenage logic was necessary.
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 4524-4525
At Mar-a-Lago, Trump would come back from playing golf. It’d be a Saturday afternoon in February or March. Absolutely stunningly beautiful. One of the most beautiful things in the world. Melania would be in the room right next door. He would watch CNN’s D-team of panelists, whom Bannon considered super-haters, and get worked up. Bannon would say, “What are you doing? Why do you do this? Cut this off. It’s not meaningful. Just enjoy yourself.” Trump’s response would often go like this: “You see that? That’s a fucking lie. Who the fuck’s?.?.?.” Bannon would say, “Go play some slap and tickle with Melania.” Trump also did not spend much time with his son Barron, then age 11.
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 4529-4534
“Trump is the perfect foil,” he summarized. “He’s the bad father, the terrible first husband, the boyfriend that fucked you over and wasted all those years, and [you] gave up your youth for, and then dumped you. And the terrible boss that grabbed you by the pussy all the time and demeaned you.”
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 4537-4538
Clips that I find shocking
“Not reported in the press is that Treasury Secretary Mnuchin is part of Cohn’s ‘Wall Street Wing,’ which has effectively blocked or delayed every proposed action on trade.”
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 2203-2204
Sonny Perdue gave a presentation in the Situation Room on May 4 on the role of agriculture in trade. Sensitive intelligence showed that if the United States imposed new tariffs on China, the Chinese would retaliate with their own tariffs. The Chinese knew exactly how to inflict economic and political pain. The United States was in kindergarten compared to China’s PhD. The Chinese knew which congressional districts produced what products, such as soybeans. They knew which swing districts were going to be important to maintain control of the House. They could target tariffs at products from those districts, or at a state level. The Chinese would target bourbon from McConnell’s Kentucky and dairy products from Paul Ryan’s Wisconsin.
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 2479-2484
West Wingers and those who traveled regularly with Trump noticed that he and Melania seemed to have some sincere affection for each other despite media speculation. But she operated independently. They ate dinner together at times, spent some time together; but they never really seemed to merge their lives. Melania’s primary concern was their son, Barron. “She’s obsessed with Barron,” one person said. “That is her focus 100 percent.”
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 2714-2717
It made no sense, Priebus realized, unless you understood the way Trump made decisions. “The president has zero psychological ability to recognize empathy or pity in any way.” Caught by surprise, Kelly had gone dark for several hours. He’d had to call his wife and explain that he had no choice but to accept after being offered one of the most important jobs in the world via tweet.
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 3606-3609
Cohn realized that Trump had gone bankrupt six times and seemed not to mind. Bankruptcy was just another business strategy. Walk away, threaten to blow up the deal. Real power is fear.
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 4178-4179
“If you’re the Chinese and you want to really just destroy us, just stop sending us antibiotics. You know we don’t really produce antibiotics in the United States?”
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 4185-4186
Clips that I find scary
Several times Cohn just asked the president, “Why do you have these views?” “I just do,” Trump replied. “I’ve had these views for 30 years.” “That doesn’t mean they’re right,” Cohn said. “I had the view for 15 years I could play professional football. It doesn’t mean I was right.”
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 2171-2174
“There’s some things where he’s already reached the conclusion and it doesn’t matter what you say. It doesn’t matter what arguments you offer. He’s not listening.”
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 3561-3562
文末：在所有的節(jié)選中，這段話精辟地總結(jié)了Trump?
“Trump is the perfect foil,” he summarized. “He’s the bad father, the terrible first husband, the boyfriend that fucked you over and wasted all those years, and [you] gave up your youth for, and then dumped you. And the terrible boss that grabbed you by the pussy all the time and demeaned you.”
Bob Woodward, Fear: Trump in the White House, loc. 4537-4538
