On a blustery evening, a crowd of thousands gather at a political rally, many eager to explain tome why their country needs a strong leader, is right to take a more aggressive stance on theworld stage and should be respected and feared by other nations.
在一個暴風鴻文的夜晚，數千人集合在一次政治聚會會議上，許多人迫在眉睫地向我說明，他們的國度為什麽須要一個倔強的引導人、為什麽應當在天下舞台上采用更具進擊性的態度、和為什麽應當讓其他國度畏敬。
It’s a scene not unlike those I have covered over the past five years as a correspondent forthe Financial Times in Russia. Only this time I have not come to see the adoring fans of VladimirPutin. I am in Macon, Georgia, and the man we are waiting for is Donald Trump.
這個場景，與曩昔五年我作為英國《金融時報》記者在俄羅斯事情時報導過的那些不無類似。只是這一次我看到的不是崇敬弗拉基米爾渠京(Vladimir Putin)的粉絲。我地點之處是美國喬治亞州梅肯市(Macon)，咱們翹首以待的人是唐納德礠朗普(Donald Trump) 。
One month into a new job covering the US presidential campaign, I am starting to find thatthe Trump phenomenon is more understandable when viewed through the lens of a Putin-Trump Venn diagram — or, rather, the Venn diagram of their supporters.
報導美國總統競選的新事情做了一個月後，我開端發明，從普京和特朗普的配合點、大概說從兩人支撐者的配合點這個角度來看，特朗普征象更易懂得。
Two weeks ago in Macon at a stadium full of diehard Trump supporters, I met Tal Wollschlaeger,a law student, who declared apropos of nothing and with no knowledge of my background thathe wanted to see a US president more like...Mr Putin.
兩周前，在會聚於梅肯一個別育館裏的特朗普鐵桿支撐者中，我碰見了司法系門生塔爾茠爾施萊格(TalWollschlaeger)。在不曉得我身份的情形下，他忽然向我宣告，他願望看到美國有一個更像……普京的總統。
“I think Putin is brilliant!” the twenty-something Mr Wollschlaeger told me as two of his friendsnodded in agreement. “He’s taking care of business the way he has to. His country loves him.He’s done well for them. He does what he says and he gets the job done.”
“我認為普京太棒了!”20多歲的沃爾施萊格說，“他依照他必需的方法處置工作。他的國度酷愛他。他引導得很好。他說到做到，能辦成事。”沃爾施萊格措辭時，他的兩個同夥在一旁一再頷首贊成。
He continued: “We just have to reassert ourselves. We’ve got to the point where Britain andFrance can’t look to us for advice because we can’t make the first move any more, becausereally we’re too weak. We need to get our seat back at the table.”
他接著說：“咱們真的必需從新倔強起來。咱們已到了如許一個田地——英國和法國沒法期望咱們供給發起，由於咱們已再也不能率先采用行為，由於咱們其實太脆弱了。咱們須要拿回本身的地位。”
At first it seemed like a one-off, a random Putin fan sprouting up like a unicorn in a southernUS city nicknamed the Heart of Georgia. But I don’t think Mr Wollschlaeger is an outlier. InDubuqe, Iowa, a crucial primary state, the Associated Press recently spoke to Duane Ernster,a local Trump supporter who also offered the Putin comparison. “Maybe we need a warriorinstead of a politician,” he said. “People compare Mr Trump to Putin. There’s something to besaid about the man who takes care of the Russian people.”
一開端，這看上去只是一個舉世無雙的普京粉絲，像獨角獸同樣，有時地出如今一個外號為“喬治亞之心”(Heart of Georgia)的美國南部都會。但如今我認為沃爾施萊格並不是舉世無雙。在對初選成果相當主要的愛荷華州杜比克市，美聯社(AP)比來采訪了本地一位特朗普的支撐者——杜安萠楓斯特(Duane Ernster)，他也把特朗普比作普京。“大概咱們須要的是兵士，而不是政客。”他說，“人們把特朗普比作普京。這個把俄羅斯國民照料得不錯的人，照樣有些處所值得歌頌的。”
In a Gallup survey last year — a period marked by Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the war inUkraine and western sanctions — Mr Putin ranked as the 10th most admired man in America,beating among others vice-president Joe Biden, the Dalai Lama and the actor George Clooney.
在蓋洛普(Gallup)客歲的一次民調中，普京在美國最受崇敬的人物中位列第十，跨越了美國副總統喬拜登(JoeBiden)、達賴喇嘛和男星喬治克魯尼(George Clooney)。而俄羅斯兼並克裏米亞、烏克蘭戰斗和西方對俄羅斯施加制裁恰是客歲的標記性事宜。
To Mr Putin’s admirers in the US, he offers a tantalising view of what it might be like to have apresident stymied by neither Congress nor two-term limits — and one who treats the delicateart of diplomacy more like judo than chess. To many of these people, Mr Trump represents thequixotic tsar who will rid Washington of its gridlock, reverse failed foreign policies and endyears of perceived economic decline. If he is Trump the Terrible, so much the better.
對付普京在美國的崇敬者來講，他引出了一種誘人的聯想：有一個不受國會和兩屆任期限定的總統會是甚麽樣，有一個將奧妙的交際藝術當成柔道、而非國際象棋來處置的總統又會是甚麽樣?對他們中許多人來講，特朗普代表著唐吉坷德式沙皇，他將使華盛頓解脫僵局、旋轉美外洋交政策的失敗、並閉幕人們眼中比年的經濟下滑。假如他是暴徒版特朗普，那就更好了。
In his campaign, Mr Trump appears to be taking chapters out of Mr Putin’s handbook. There isthe creation of a perceived external threat (in Mr Putin’s case, the US and its encroachmentinto Russia’s sphere of influence; in Mr Trump’s, it is Muslims and illegal immigrants); the saltylanguage; and the stranglehold on national television. Both men are credited with beingspontaneous, unpredictable and counter-intuitive, qualities that make it difficult foropponents to outmanoeuvre them.
特朗普的競選仿佛從普京那邊學了很多招數。好比建立一個設想的外部威逼(普京建立的威逼是美國及其對俄羅斯權勢規模的侵犯;特朗普建立的威逼則是穆斯林和不法移民);粗鄙的說話;打壓天下性電視台。二人都被以為隨性、難以捉摸、反直覺，這些品德讓他們的敵手很難用計策克服他們。
The two men’s ratings appear to defy logic. Mr Putin’s remains strong despite a worseningeconomy on the back of westerns sanctions, lower oil prices and the plunging rouble. MrTrump’s support improves the more offensive or outlandish his comments become.
這兩人的支撐率仿佛分歧常理。在西方制裁、油價下跌和盧布狂跌的配景下，俄羅斯經濟狀態日趨惡化，只管如斯，普京的支撐率仍舊強勁。特朗普的談吐越是過分、瑰異，他的支撐率則越是節節上漲。
The comparisons to Mr Putin seem to suit Mr Trump just fine, perhaps because he knows theysuit part of his base. In the past few months, Mr Trump has declared that he would “get along”with Mr Putin in a way that President Barack Obama has not, and he has been one of the fewcandidates to express his approval of Moscow’s military campaign in Syria. Mr Trump likes tojoke that he and the Russian president are “stablemates” because they both appeared(separately) on the same episode of the US news programme 60 Minutes.
被比作普京仿佛挺合特朗普的情意，大概是由於他曉得，如許的比擬合乎他的鐵桿支撐者情意。曩昔數月，特朗普傳播鼓吹他將以美國總統巴拉克攠巴馬未曾有過的方法與普京“相處”，同時，他還一向是少數幾個表達承認莫斯科在敘利亞軍事行為的候選人之一。特朗普愛好開頑笑說，他和這位俄羅斯總統是“同廄之馬”，由於他們曾(分離)出如今美國消息節目《60分鐘》(60 Minutes)的統一期中。
As for Mr Putin’s impression of Mr Trump? He has yet to comment.
至於普京對特朗普的印象?他今朝還沒有置評。
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