美国国家公共电台 NPR--Biden travels to Minnesota to tout investments in manufacturing and clean energy

Biden travels to Minnesota to tout¹ investments in manufacturing and clean energy

Transcript²

President Biden's visit is part of a positive messaging push on the economy — ahead of his expected announcement that he'll run for a second term. Minnesota is a crucial battleground state.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

While more Republicans are seeking the White House, President Biden has yet to announce his bid to keep it.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Biden is promoting his record today in Minnesota. It's a state that he won in 2020 and would need again in 2024. And he is talking of federal investments in the new energy economy.

MART?NEZ: White House correspondent Franco Ordo?ez will be traveling with the president.

Franco, so what's in Minnesota for President Biden, and where else is he going?

FRANCO ORDO?EZ, BYLINE³: Well, he'll be visiting an engine and alternative power manufacturer just north of Minneapolis. You know, the company is going to announce $1 billion in investments towards low- to zero-carbon engines. The idea really is to help decarbonize U.S. truck fleets. But, you know, as you note, the trip is actually part of a three-week tour that Biden and top aides are doing to highlight some of the investments his administration has done in some of these issues - manufacturing, supply chains and creating jobs. I mean, really, Biden, Vice⁴ President Kamala Harris and nearly a dozen members of the cabinet are really fanning out across the country, going to more than 20 states, including battleground states, like Georgia, Pennsylvania and Nevada, to get this message out.

MART?NEZ: Another thing is the Biden administration has struggled with economic uncertainty⁵. How does that play into this visit?

ORDO?EZ: It's a really big part. I mean, the economy continues to dominate as the most important issue facing the country. And polls show that most Americans really do not yet feel the impacts of all the spending packages that have been turned into law. There's really been so much focus on concerns about inflation. And this is an effort to kind of counter that. The administration wants to show what they're doing and have done and the impacts it's having. And it's very, very important for Biden to kind of improve those perceptions about the economy and hone his political message ahead of the 2024 election.

MART?NEZ: Thing is, though, now we're all going to be focused on Donald Trump⁶. So how hard will it be to get that message across for Biden when the attention is going to be in New York?

ORDO?EZ: Yeah, of course. Attention on Trump is going to be sky high. You know, everyone wants every detail about the arrest. But for this trip, the White House is really focused on local attention and local headlines. You know, Celinda Lake, who is a pollster on the Biden campaign, told me that Trump is always going to make noise and create drama. You know, she kind of described this kind of split-screen opportunity for Biden to really emphasize the contrast between himself governing and Trump being arraigned⁷.

CELINDA LAKE: Ironically, the noisier the environment is, the more important it is to get out the alternative in terms of what this administration is doing and what it's going to continue to do.

ORDO?EZ: And, A, it's not that Democrats⁸ aren't concerned about Trump, you know, and the attention that it's getting, but they also point to Trump's track record when he is the focal point of the national narrative⁹. And if you look at the last few elections, Democrats have generally benefited when he is the focal point of so much attention.

MART?NEZ: The thing with Biden, though, is that he still has not made his reelection official. Seems like everyone's been waiting for a while. So what's the holdup?

ORDO?EZ: Well, Biden says he intends to run. But you're right; he has yet to make it official. But he's taking all the steps. He's visiting battleground states on what is the single most important issue for reelection. He's also tacked¹⁰ to the center on a bunch of issues that Republicans will likely attack him on as the campaign season kicks in - things like getting tougher on crime as well as immigration. You know, there's obviously a lot of anxiousness about this, but ultimately, it's going to be up to him to make it official.

MART?NEZ: That's NPR's Franco Ordo?ez.

Franco, thanks.

ORDO?EZ: Thanks, A.

1 tout   

v.推销，招徕；兜售；吹捧，劝诱

参考例句：

• They say it will let them tout progress in the war.他们称这将有助于鼓吹他们在战争中的成果。
• If your case studies just tout results,don't bother requiring registration to view them.如果你的案例研究只是吹捧结果，就别烦扰别人来注册访问了。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

6 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

7 arraigned   

v.告发( arraign的过去式和过去分词 )；控告；传讯；指责

参考例句：

• He was arraigned for murder. 他因谋杀罪而被提讯。
• She was arraigned for high treason. 她被控叛国罪。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

10 tacked   

用平头钉钉( tack的过去式和过去分词 )； 附加，增补； 帆船抢风行驶，用粗线脚缝

参考例句：

• He tacked the sheets of paper on as carefully as possible. 他尽量小心地把纸张钉上去。
• The seamstress tacked the two pieces of cloth. 女裁缝把那两块布粗缝了起来。