美国国家公共电台 NPR Trump's Flip-Flops On Economics Move Policies Toward The Status Quo

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's been a big week for President Trump¹ to reverse long-held views. He has darkened his view of Russia and said NATO is no longer obsolete². And then there are his changes on economic policy, which we're going to talk about next. Candidate Trump said he would designate China a currency manipulator on day one.

This week, the president said his administration will not do that after all. He has also changed his view of the Export-Import Bank and also now perhaps on who should head the Federal Reserve. What's happening here? Here's NPR's John Ydstie.

JOHN YDSTIE, BYLINE³: Over and over during the presidential campaign, Donald Trump pilloried⁴ China for manipulating its currency.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I'm going to instruct my treasury⁵ secretary to label China a currency manipulator, the greatest in the world.

YDSTIE: But this week in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump said about China, quote, "they're not currency manipulators." Trump's new view of China aligned⁶ him with the mainstream⁷ conclusion that China stopped manipulating its currency to boost exports several years ago, well before Trump's statements to the contrary during the campaign.

But Derek Scissors, a trade specialist at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, says Trump's opposing characterizations of China are both justified⁸.

DEREK SCISSORS: So it's legitimate⁹ as a candidate to run against the history of Chinese action because that affects the American people. But as president, you have to deal with what's going on now. And with what's going on now, China is not a currency manipulator right now.

YDSTIE: The timing¹⁰ of Trump's change in views was likely related to an annual report on trade manipulators due from the Treasury Department this weekend says Dean Baker¹¹ of the left-leaning Center for Economic and Policy Research.

DEAN BAKER: I don't have any, you know, advanced knowledge of the report but I'm assuming it will not be labeling China as a manipulator. And he had to lay the groundwork for that 'cause during the campaign he made that his commitment. As soon as I get in office, we're going to label China a manipulator and take action against them.

YDSTIE: Baker says he's a little disappointed that Trump seems to be dropping the currency issue. Baker believes China still manages its currency in a way that perpetuates¹² huge trade imbalances with the U.S. and hurts U.S. manufacturing.

BAKER: We can't reverse history. We can't get back to where we were 20 years ago and bring back all the jobs that were lost in Michigan, Ohio and these other states. But we could make a difference if we had something closer to balanced trade.

YDSTIE: Also this week, Trump reversed his view of the Export-Import Bank, a government agency that provides loan guarantees to finance U.S. exports. During the campaign, he complained the bank wasn't supporting free enterprise because it was unfairly subsidizing exports from big companies like Boeing, G.E. and Caterpillar¹³.

But on Wednesday, Trump told the Journal he no longer wants to eliminate the Ex-Im Bank. Baker says Trump is no doubt getting an earful on this matter from the CEOs he's been inviting¹⁴ to the White House.

BAKER: These large firms are all politically powerful. And when you're actually sitting there at the White House, they're talking to you.

YDSTIE: Derek Scissors believes Gary Cohn, formerly¹⁵ of Goldman Sachs who is Trump's top White House economic adviser¹⁶, has probably helped move Trump to a more mainstream business view on the bank.

SCISSORS: They want the government involved in certain financial deals. And the free market types - which includes me, by the way - don't want the government involved because the Export-Import Bank doesn't spread the money evenly. It chooses certain companies to support.

YDSTIE: As for Trump's suggestion that he could still reappoint Janet Yellen to another term as Federal Reserve chair, something he said before he wouldn't do, well, after accusing Yellen of keeping rates low to help President Obama, Trump said he'd like to see interest rates kept low for him, too. John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington.

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 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。

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 pilloried   

v.使受公众嘲笑( pillory的过去式和过去分词 )；将…示众；给…上颈手枷；处…以枷刑

参考例句：

• He was regularly pilloried by the press for his radical ideas. 他因观点极端而经常受到新闻界的抨击。
• He was pilloried, but she escaped without blemish. 他受到公众的批评，她却名声未损地得以逃脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

6 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

7 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

8 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

9 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

10 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

11 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

12 perpetuates   

n.使永存，使人记住不忘( perpetuate的名词复数 )；使永久化，使持久化，使持续

参考例句：

• Giving these events a lot of media coverage merely perpetuates the problem. 媒体大量地报道这些事件只会使问题持续下去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Lack of water perpetuates poverty, increases the risk of political instability, and affects global prosperity. 水资源短缺导致贫穷，使政局不稳，且影响全球的繁荣。 来自互联网

13 caterpillar   

n.毛虫，蝴蝶的幼虫

参考例句：

• A butterfly is produced by metamorphosis from a caterpillar.蝴蝶是由毛虫脱胎变成的。
• A caterpillar must pass through the cocoon stage to become a butterfly.毛毛虫必须经过茧的阶段才能变成蝴蝶。

14 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

15 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

16 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。