美国国家公共电台 NPR Merkel's Low-Key Visit With Trump Focuses On Trade, Foreign Policy

 

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

President Trump¹ is hailing the progress made between North and South Korea at their historic summit. And he notes that the relationship between the U.S. and North Korea has changed radically² from the days of name-calling between him and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Those comments came at a joint³ press conference this afternoon at the White House with German Chancellor⁴ Angela Merkel. NPR White House reporter Ayesha Rascoe was there and joins us now. Hi, Ayesha.

AYESHA RASCOE, BYLINE⁵: Hi.

SHAPIRO: What more did President Trump have to say today about North Korea?

RASCOE: Well, President Trump says they've gotten to a point that no one expected and that there's the potential for something dramatic to happen and that would be great for the world. Trump did take ownership over the crafting of a peace deal. And he said he had a responsibility to give it a try. He said - he also said that he's narrowed down the possible sites for a meeting between him and Kim to two locations. There's still no date for that summit, though.

SHAPIRO: Now, as we said, this was a joint press conference with Angela Merkel. And one reason she came here to talk with President Trump was the Iran nuclear deal. Merkel wants the U.S. to stay in the deal. Did she make any progress on that?

RASCOE: It's not really clear. In a nod to some of President Trump's complaints about the deal, she called the agreement a building block. And she said it's certainly not perfect, and more would need to be done regarding Iran. But she did say that it will be up to President Trump whether to stay in the deal. President Trump didn't show his hand on that. He was asked whether - if the U.S. left the deal, would he consider military action against Iran to prevent them from getting nuclear weapons? He said he wouldn't talk about that. But he did say this.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: They will not be doing nuclear weapons. That I can tell you, OK? They're not going to be doing nuclear weapons. You can bank on it.

SHAPIRO: Another point of friction⁶ between President Trump and Angela Merkel is trade. Did anything on that front come out of these talks?

RASCOE: Well, there's this May 1 deadline to decide whether the EU will remain exempt⁷ from U.S. import tariffs⁸ on steel and aluminum⁹. Merkel came here wanting an extension or a permanent exemption¹⁰ for the EU. She said she had an exchange of views with President Trump on this issue. But once again, she said the decision would lie with him. A big theme of these meetings between these two leaders has been the idea that the U.S. has been taken advantage of over the years and that Germany has not been doing its part, whether it's about spending on defense¹¹ or on trade. President Trump has said that it's a disgrace that the U.S. has such a big trade deficit¹² with the EU and that he's working to fix that. President Trump noted¹³ that some of his actions may not be popular in Europe. Here's a little more of what he had to say on that.

(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)

TRUMP: I believe that, you know, when I look at the numbers in Germany and some other countries, they may not like Donald Trump. But you have to understand that means I'm doing a good job because I'm representing the United States. Angela is representing Germany.

SHAPIRO: And, of course, Angela Merkel is the second European leader President Trump has met with this week. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, had a state dinner earlier in the week. How would you compare the dynamic between these two leaders?

RASCOE: It's not the same at all. Now, President Trump insisted that he has a great relationship with the German chancellor. But it definitely was not as warm and fuzzy as it was with Macron. Merkel did seem somewhat deferential¹⁴ to President Trump. She kind of said - acknowledged some of the areas where they disagree. She said, we're working on the trade deficit. She knows President Trump is not happy with that. And they're working on spending more on the military. So they were cordial with each other, but it wasn't as close as he was with Macron.

SHAPIRO: That's NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaking with us from the White House. Thanks.

RASCOE: Thank you.

1 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。

2 radically   

ad.根本地，本质地

参考例句：

• I think we may have to rethink our policies fairly radically. 我认为我们可能要对我们的政策进行根本的反思。
• The health service must be radically reformed. 公共医疗卫生服务必须进行彻底改革。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

5 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。

6 friction   

n.摩擦，摩擦力

参考例句：

• When Joan returned to work,the friction between them increased.琼回来工作后，他们之间的摩擦加剧了。
• Friction acts on moving bodies and brings them to a stop.摩擦力作用于运动着的物体，并使其停止。

7 exempt   

adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者

参考例句：

• These goods are exempt from customs duties.这些货物免征关税。
• He is exempt from punishment about this thing.关于此事对他已免于处分。

8 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

9 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

10 exemption   

n.豁免，免税额，免除

参考例句：

• You may be able to apply for exemption from local taxes.你可能符合资格申请免除地方税。
• These goods are subject to exemption from tax.这些货物可以免税。

11 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

12 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

14 deferential   

adj. 敬意的，恭敬的

参考例句：

• They like five-star hotels and deferential treatment.他们喜欢五星级的宾馆和毕恭毕敬的接待。
• I am deferential and respectful in the presence of artists.我一向恭敬、尊重艺术家。