Home Alone at the White House: A Sour President, With TV His Constant Companion
特朗普如何度過“被困”白宮的每一天
WASHINGTON — President Trump arrives in the Oval Office these days as late as noon, when he is usually in a sour mood after his morning marathon of television.
華盛頓——這些天，特朗普總統要到中午才會來到總統辦公室。因為看了一上午的電視，來到辦公室的時候他總是情緒不佳。
He has been up in the White House master bedroom as early as 5 a.m. watching Fox News, then CNN, with a dollop of MSNBC thrown in for rage viewing. He makes calls with the TV on in the background, his routine since he first arrived at the White House.
早在5點他就起床了，呆在白宮主臥，他先是看福克斯新聞(Fox News)，然後看CNN，再睃一眼讓他惱火又欲罷不能的MSNBC。他打電話時候也開著電視，從入主白宮以來一向如此。
But now there are differences.
但現在有一些不同之處。
The president sees few allies no matter which channel he clicks. He is angry even with Fox, an old security blanket, for not portraying him as he would like to be seen. And he makes time to watch Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s briefings from New York, closely monitoring for a sporadic compliment or snipe.
不管總統調到哪個臺，都看不到幫他說話的人。就連福克斯這個以往讓他備感安慰的臺現在也讓人生氣，因為他們對自己的描繪與他的期望不符。他還會抽時間看紐約州州長安德魯·M·科莫的發佈會，仔細搜尋零星的肯定或抨擊。
Confined to the White House, the president is isolated from the supporters, visitors, travel and golf that once entertained him, according to more than a dozen administration officials and close advisers who spoke about Mr. Trump’s strange new life. He is tested weekly, as is Vice President Mike Pence, for Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
據十幾位行政官員和關係密切的顧問表示，這樣從未有過的新生活把總統困在了白宮，與以前帶給自己興致的支持者、拜訪者、外出活動和高爾夫隔絕開來。他和副總統邁克·彭斯每週都會接受新冠病毒檢測。
The economy — Mr. Trump’s main case for re-election — has imploded. News coverage of his handling of the coronavirus has been overwhelmingly negative as Democrats have condemned him for a lack of empathy, honesty and competence in the face of a pandemic. Even Republicans have criticized Mr. Trump’s briefings as long-winded and his rough handling of critics as unproductive.
經濟一落千丈，這是特朗普賴以連任的基礎。有關他應對新冠病毒的媒體報道一邊倒的負面，民主黨譴責他在疫情面前沒有同情心，缺乏誠實與能力。就連共和黨也批評特朗普的發佈會冗長、應對批評粗率且沒有成效。
His own internal polling shows him sliding in some swing states, a major reason he declared a temporary halt to the issuance of green cards to those outside the United States. The executive order — watered down with loopholes after an uproar from business groups — was aimed at pleasing his political base, people close to him said, and was the kind of move Mr. Trump makes when things feel out of control. Friends who have spoken to him said he seemed unsettled and worried about losing the election.
他自己的內部調查顯示，在一些搖擺州他的支持率下滑，這也是他暫時凍結髮放綠卡的主要原因。據接近特朗普的人士表示，這道行政命令（因商界團體一片譁然而保留多項例外）是為了取悅他的政治基本盤，也是他感到事態要失控時會採取的典型做法。與之交談過的朋友說，他似乎很不安，擔心會輸掉選舉。
But the president’s primary focus, advisers said, is assessing how his performance on the virus is measured in the news media, and the extent to which history will blame him.
但他的顧問們說，總統的主要關注點是評估媒體如何看他在病毒方面的表現，以及自己是否會成為歷史罪人。
“He’s frustrated,” said Stephen Moore, an outside economic adviser to Mr. Trump who was the president’s pick to sit on the Federal Reserve Board before his history of sexist comments and lack of child support payments surfaced. “It’s like being hit with a meteor.”
“他很煩惱，”特朗普的外部經濟顧問斯蒂芬·摩爾(Stephen Moore)說，他原是特朗普指定加入聯邦儲備委員會(Federal Reserve Board)的人選，後因曾經發表性別歧視言論和不支付子女撫養費的歷史曝光而作罷，“就像被流星砸中了。”
Mr. Trump frequently vents about how he is portrayed. He was enraged by an article this month in which his health secretary, Alex M. Azar II, was said to have warned Mr. Trump in January about the possibility of a pandemic. Mr. Trump was upset that he was being blamed while Mr. Azar was portrayed in a more favorable light, aides said. The president told friends that he assumed Mr. Azar was working the news media to try to save his own reputation at the expense of Mr. Trump’s.
特朗普經常因為自己在媒體上的形象而勃然大怒。這個月，就有一篇文章讓他大為光火。文章稱，他的衛生及公共服務部部長亞歷克斯·M·阿扎爾二世(Alex M. Azar II)表示，他在1月就警告過特朗普疫情暴發的可能性。他的助手說，特朗普對輿論站在阿扎爾一邊感到生氣。總統告訴友人，他認為阿扎爾這是在利用媒體，以特朗普的名譽為代價來挽回自己的聲譽。
Hogan Gidley, a White House spokesman, disputed that the president’s focus was on his news coverage, but said in a statement that “President Trump’s highest priority is the health and safety of the American people.”
白宮發言人霍根·吉德利(Hogan Gidley)駁斥了總統最關心的是與自己有關的新聞的看法，並在一份聲明中說，“特朗普總統以美國人民的健康安全為重”。
Aides said the president’s low point was in mid-March, when Mr. Trump, who had dismissed the virus as “one person coming in from China” and no worse than the flu, saw deaths and infections from Covid-19 rising daily. Mike Lindell, a Trump donor campaign surrogate and the chief executive of MyPillow, visited the White House later that month and said the president seemed so glum that Mr. Lindell pulled out his phone to show him a text message from a Democratic-voting friend of his who thought Mr. Trump was doing a good job.
他的助手說，3月中旬是最糟的時刻。當時，病毒造成的死亡和感染病例每天都在攀升，而特朗普曾輕描淡寫地表示病毒是“中國來的一個傢伙”，並不比流感更可怕。特朗普的競選捐款代理人、MyPillow的首席執行官邁克·林德爾(Mike Lindell)在3月晚些時候拜訪了白宮，他說總統看起來很鬱悶，為了安慰他，林德爾拿出手機給他看一個朋友發來的信息，那位支持民主黨的朋友說特朗普做得不錯。
Mr. Lindell said Mr. Trump perked up after hearing the praise. “I just wanted to give him a little confidence,” Mr. Lindell said.
林德爾說，特朗普聽到讚揚後振作了許多。“我只是想給他一點信心。”林德爾說。
The Daily Briefings
每日發佈會
The daily White House coronavirus task force briefing is the one portion of the day that Mr. Trump looks forward to, although even Republicans say that the two hours of political attacks, grievances and falsehoods by the president are hurting him politically.
白宮的每日疫情工作小組發佈會，是一天中特朗普最期待的時刻。儘管就連一些共和黨人都認為，總統連續兩個小時的政治攻擊、抱怨和不實信息正在傷害他自己的政治利益。
Mr. Trump will hear none of it. Aides say he views them as prime-time shows that are the best substitute for the rallies he can no longer attend but craves.
特朗普完全聽不進去。助手們說，他將發佈會視為黃金時間節目，是他渴望但無法再參與的競選集會的最好替代品。
Mr. Trump rarely attends the task force meetings that precede the briefings, and he typically does not prepare before he steps in front of the cameras. He is often seeing the final version of the day’s main talking points that aides have prepared for him for the first time although aides said he makes tweaks with a Sharpie just before he reads them live. He hastily plows through them, usually in a monotone, in order to get to the question-and-answer bullying session with reporters that he relishes.
特郎普很少參與發佈會之前的特別工作組會議，而且常常不經準備就站到攝像機跟前。這時，他經常是頭回看到下屬為他準備的當天講話重點的最終版本，但助手們表示，他會在直播宣讀之前用記號筆做一些微調。他會匆忙唸完，通常是用毫無起伏的聲調，好儘快進入他享受的記者問答耍橫環節。
The briefing’s critics, including Mr. Cuomo, have pointed out the obvious: With two hours of the president’s day dedicated to hosting what is still referred to as a prime-time news briefing, who is going to actually fix the pandemic?
批評發佈會的人，包括科莫，都曾指出一個顯而易見的事實：總統一天中有兩個小時都用來主持這個所謂的黃金時間新聞發佈會，那到底誰來對付疫情呢？
Even Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, one of the experts appointed to advise the president on the best way to handle the outbreak, has complained that the amount of time he must spend onstage in the briefings each day has a “draining” effect on him.
就連被指定輔佐總統以最佳方式處理疫情的專家之一安東尼·S·福奇博士(Dr. Anthony S. Fauci)也抱怨，每天要在臺上花那麼多時間，對他來說很消耗精力。
They have the opposite effect on the president. How he arrived at them was almost an accident.
對於總統來說，發佈會的效果與初衷相反。召開發佈會的決定對總統來說幾乎是意外達成的。
Mr. Trump became enraged watching the coverage of his 10-minute Oval Office address in March that was rife with inaccuracies and had little in terms of action for him to announce. He complained to aides that there were few people on television willing to defend him.
3月的時候，總統看了新聞中對他在總統辦公室發表的10分鐘講話的報道，感到非常憤怒。那次講話謬誤連連，且在行動方面沒什麼可讓他宣佈的。他向助手抱怨，電視上幾乎沒有人願意為自己辯護。
The solution, aides said, came two days later, when Mr. Trump appeared in the Rose Garden to declare a national emergency and answer questions from reporters. As he admonished journalists for asking “nasty” questions, Mr. Trump found the back-and-forth he had been missing. The virus had not been a perfect enemy — it was impervious to his browbeating — but baiting and attacking reporters energized him.
助手們說，兩天後，解決的方法找到了。特朗普在玫瑰園(Rose Garden)宣佈全國進入緊急狀態，並回答記者提問。當他對提出“噁心”問題的記者發出警告的時候，特朗普發現了他所懷念的針鋒相對。病毒不是個完美的敵人——它對他的恫嚇無動於衷——但拿它引誘、攻擊記者，則讓他來勁。
“I don’t take responsibility at all,” Mr. Trump told White House correspondents in answer to one question.
“我不負任何責任。”在回答一個提問時，特朗普對駐白宮的記者們這樣說道。
His first news conference in the briefing room took place the next day, on a Saturday, after Mr. Trump arrived unannounced in the Situation Room, wearing a polo shirt and baseball cap, and told the group he planned to attend the briefing and watch from a chair on the side. When aides told him that reporters would simply yell questions at him, even if he was not on the small stage, he agreed to take the podium. He has not looked back since.
他的第一場佈會於第二天在簡報室舉行，那是一個星期六。未經事先通知，他穿著polo衫帶著棒球帽來到戰情室，告訴在場的人他打算坐在一旁的椅子上參與發佈會。當助手告訴他，即使他不在那個小臺子上，記者也會衝他喊出問題時，他同意上臺。從那以後，他就一發不可收拾。
When Mr. Trump finishes up 90 or more minutes later, he heads back to the Oval Office to watch the end of the briefings on TV and compare notes with whoever is around from his inner circle.
完成了那個90分鐘或多一點的發佈會後，他回到總統辦公室，打開電視觀看發佈會的結尾，然後跟當時在身邊的核心親信交換意見。
The New Pecking Order
新的權勢等級
That circle has shrunk significantly as the president, who advisers say is more sensitive to criticism than at nearly any other point in his presidency, has come to rely on only a handful of longtime aides.
據顧問們說，總統目前對於批評意見比上任以來任何時候都要敏感，因此他的核心親信圈子大大縮水，只剩下幾位長期的助手。
Hope Hicks, a former communications director who rejoined the White House this year as counselor to the president, maintains his daily schedule. His former personal assistant, Johnny McEntee, now runs presidential personnel.
前通訊聯絡主管霍普·希克斯(Hope Hicks)今年重新加入白宮，任總統的高級顧問，負責他的日程安排。他的前個人助理約翰尼·麥肯蒂(Johnny McEntee)現在則執掌總統人事辦公室。
Ms. Hicks and Mr. McEntee, along with Dan Scavino, the president’s social media guru who was promoted this week to deputy chief of staff for communications, provide Mr. Trump with a link to the better old days. The three are the ones outside advisers get in touch with to find out if it’s a good time to reach the president or pass on a message.
希克斯、麥肯蒂，還有本週被提升為負責通訊事務的副幕僚長，同時負責總統社交媒體事務的丹·斯卡維諾(Dan Scavino)，是特朗普與昔日美好時光之間的紐帶。外部顧問會先與這三位聯繫，以確定現在是否是聯繫總統或傳遞信息的好時機。
Mark Meadows, Mr. Trump’s new chief of staff, is still finding his footing and adjusting to the nocturnal habits of Mr. Trump, who recently placed a call to Mr. Meadows, a senior administration official said, at 3:19 a.m. Mr. Meadows works closely with another trusted insider: Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law and de facto chief of staff.
特朗普的新幕僚長馬克·梅多斯(Mark Meadows)，則還在適應特朗普的夜間活動習慣。一名高級政府官員說，特朗普最近曾在凌晨3:19給他打電話。梅多斯與另一位核心親信密切合作，即特朗普的女婿、實際上的幕僚長賈裡德·庫什納(Jared Kushner)。
“They have been really confined and figuratively imprisoned,” Matthew Dallek, a political historian at George Washington University, said about presidents who have kept close to the White House in times of crisis.
“他們真的被困住了，好比坐牢。”喬治·華盛頓大學(George Washington University)的政治歷史學家馬修·達萊克(Matthew Dallek)這樣形容在危機時刻留在白宮的總統。
While many officials have been encouraged to work remotely and the Old Executive Office Building is empty, the West Wing’s tight quarters are still packed. Mr. Pence and his top aides, usually stationed across the street, are working exclusively from the White House, along with most of the senior aides, who dine from the takeout mess while the in-house dining room remains closed. Few aides wear masks except for Matthew Pottinger, the deputy national security adviser, and some of his staff.
很多官員被鼓勵居家辦公，老行政辦公大樓(Old Executive Office Building)人去樓空，但空間狹小的白宮西翼(West Wing)依然人滿為患。通常駐紮在馬路對面的彭斯和他的高級助手，與其他大部分總統的高級助手一樣目前都在白宮辦公，因內部餐廳關閉，他們吃飯靠點外賣。這些助手都不戴口罩，除了副國家安全顧問馬修·波廷格(Matthew Pottinger)和他一些屬下。
The Day Ends as It Began
一天如何開始又如何結束
As soon as he gets to the Oval Office, the president often receives his daily intelligence briefing, and Mr. Pence sometimes joins him. Then there are meetings with his national security team or economic advisers.
一到總統辦公室，特朗普通常會聽取每天的情報簡報，有時彭斯也會加入。接著他會與國家安全團隊或經濟顧問開會。
Throughout the day, Mr. Trump calls governors, will have lunch with cabinet secretaries and pores over newspapers, which he treats like official briefing books and reads primarily in paper clippings that aides bring to him. He calls aides about stories he sees, either to order them to get a world leader on the phone or to ask questions about something he has read.
特朗普一天中不時給州長打電話，還會與內閣部長吃飯，並仔細讀報。他視報紙為正式的簡報手冊，主要讀助手送來的剪報。看到一些報道後，他會給助手打電話，不是讓他們連線某位世界領導，就是就自己讀到的內容問他們問題。
Many friends said they were less likely to call Mr. Trump’s cellphone, assuming he does not want to hear their advice. Those who do reach him said phone calls have grown more clipped: Conversations that used to last 20 minutes now wrap up in three.
很多朋友說，他們現在不太會打特朗普的手機，因為覺得他不會想聽自己的建議。聯繫了他的人則說，現在電話變得簡短了：以前持續20分鐘的談話，現在三分鐘就打發了。
Mr. Trump will still take calls from Brad Parscale, his campaign manager, on the latest on polling data. The president will in turn call Mr. Meadows and Kellyanne Conway about key congressional races.
特朗普會接競選經理布拉德·帕斯凱爾(Brad Parscale)的電話，瞭解最新的民調數據。總統也會給梅多斯和凱莉安·康維(Kellyanne Conway)打電話，詢問關鍵的國會議員競選情況。
The president’s aides have slowly lined up more opportunities to keep him engaged. Last week, a small group of coronavirus survivors were led into the White House, and Mr. Trump took one of them to see the White House physician. Then Mr. Trump hosted a celebration of America’s truckers on the South Lawn.
總統的助手見縫插針安排了更多讓他保持參與度的機會。上週，幾個新冠病毒的康復者被帶到白宮，特朗普帶其中一位去看白宮醫生。然後特朗普在南草坪主持了美國卡車司機的慶祝活動。
After he is done watching the end of the daily White House briefing — which is held seven days a week and sometimes goes as late as 8 p.m. — Mr. Trump watches television in his private dining room off the Oval Office. Assorted aides who are still around will join him to rehash the day and offer their assessments on the briefings. Comfort food — including French fries and Diet Coke — is readily available.
看完每日白宮發佈會的結尾後——發佈會每週舉行7次，有時遲至晚上8點才開——特朗普就在總統辦公室旁的私人餐廳看電視。一些還沒下班的各位下屬，這時會過來跟他一起把當天再回顧一邊，告訴他自己對發佈會的評價。貼心的食物也準備好了——包括薯條和健怡可樂。
Lately, aides say, his mood has started to brighten as his administration moves to open the economy. His new line, both in public and in private, is that there is reason to be optimistic.
助手們說，最近，隨著政府開始為經濟重啟做準備，他的情緒也開始好起來。不管是公開還是私下，他的新口號都是有理由保持樂觀。
“And at the end of that tunnel, we see light,” Mr. Trump said in the Rose Garden last week.
“在隧道的盡頭，我們看見光亮。”特朗普上週在玫瑰園說道。
If he is not staying late in the West Wing, Mr. Trump occasionally has dinner with his wife, Melania Trump, and their son, Barron, who recently celebrated his 14th birthday at home.
如果不在西翼待到很晚，他偶爾會跟妻子梅拉尼婭·特朗普(Melania Trump)和他們的兒子巴倫(Barron)一起吃晚飯。巴倫最近剛在家裡過了14歲的生日。
By the end of the day, Mr. Trump turns back to his constant companion, television. Upstairs in the White House private quarters — often in his own bedroom or in a nearby den — he flicks from channel to channel, reviewing his performance.
一天結束，特朗普回到他忠實的夥伴——電視的身邊。在白宮樓上的私人區域——通常是他自己的臥室或鄰近的小房間——他從一個臺跳到另一個臺，回顧自己的表現。
