当全世界忙着抗疫的时候，特朗普却在……

随着新冠病毒的继续传播，目前全球已有超过30万人被感染，意大利、西班牙和美国的疫情仍在继续升级。联合国秘书长安东尼奥•古特雷斯将疫情称之为“需要团结才能渡过的人类危机。”

As the deadly and highly contagious coronavirus disease known as COVID-19 continues to spread, over 300,000 people have been infected globally while the situations in Italy, Spain and the U.S. continue to deteriorate. Secretary-General António Guterres called this pandemic "a human crisis."

但就在世界各国政府齐心协力，共同抗疫的时候，特朗普政府却似乎将精力集中在一场“公关运动”上，妄图把中国当做“靶心”。

In a moment when governments worldwide are joining hands and fighting every second to stop a global catastrophe, the Trump administration appears to be focusing its energy on a "PR campaign" that looks to capitalize on the dangerous pandemic and pin the blame squarely on China, where cases of the novel coronavirus were first reported.

美国新闻和舆论网站《每日野兽》（The Daily Beast）获得的政府电文显示，3月20日白宫与政府官员就危机初期的“中国的失误”发表了一系列谈话。该电文要求政府官员向新闻媒体传达一条统一的信息，强调中国对新冠肺炎疫情的“瞒报”。

On Friday, the White House issued a set of talking points to administration officials centered on "China's missteps" in the initial stage of the crisis, according to a government cable obtained by American news and opinion website The Daily Beast. The cable asked U.S. officials to communicate to news media a unified message underscoring China's "cover-up" of the pandemic.

然而，疫情发生后中国已迅速采取行动，比如对疫情严重的武汉进行了封锁。国家卫建委也及时与世界卫生组织分享了新型冠状病毒的基因序列。

However, Chinese authorities took swift actions thereafter, starting with the unprecedented lockdown of the transportation hub Wuhan. China's National Health Commission (NHC) later shared the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus with the World Health Organization (WHO).

与此同时，来自全国各地的医护人员紧急驰援武汉；一些主要城市限制交通、控制人流以遏制病毒传播；而中国各地工厂也在争分夺秒，加班加点地制造医疗用品。

Medical professionals from around the country toiled around the clock on the frontline. While major cities were cordoned off to prevent the spread of the virus, Chinese factories were racing to manufacture medical supplies.

随着国内形势好转，复工复产有序推进，中国医疗专家现在正带着他们取得的经验和数百吨的物资，包括急需的口罩和呼吸机，驰援意大利、塞尔维亚和伊朗等国家。中国还承诺帮助数十个国家应对严重的公共卫生危机。

As China slowly recovers, its medical experts are now bringing their freshly-gained experience along with hundreds of tons of supplies, including critically-needed masks and ventilators to countries including Italy, Serbia and Iran. It has also pledged to help dozens of countries as they cope with the severe public health crisis.

据《每日野兽》报道，白宫电文中下达的指令似乎起源于国家安全委员会。这一指令和特朗普最开始对中国抗疫的态度相比，简直天差地别。此前，特朗普曾赞扬中国高效遏制了疫情，并寻求合作。

然而在《每日野兽》报告发布之前的几天里，尽管美国疾控中心和世界卫生组织都称这种说法将助长不只针对中国人，还波及所有亚裔的歧视，但特朗普和国务卿蓬佩奥还是反复使用了“中国病毒”一词。

The directive that appears to have originated in the National Security Council, according to The Daily Beast, largely contradicts Trump's earlier reactions in which he lauded China's effort in combating the disease. In the days leading up to The Daily Beast report, Trump and State Secretary Mike Pompeo repeatedly used the term "Chinese virus" despite warnings from both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the WHO that such usage fuels hate crimes against not only Chinese people, but people from Asian backgrounds.

表面上看，特朗普炒作所谓的“中国病毒”是他一以贯之的“政治花招”。从之前指责美国疾控中心检测不力、指责前任奥巴马留下“烂摊子”，到如今指责中国该为“疫情负责”，都是为了推卸自己的责任。

On the surface, Trump is retreating to his default setting when confronted with a challenge – blaming the CDC for botching virus tests, Barack Obama for not leaving him with enough masks and now China for causing the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, he recently claimed that as the wartime commander-in-chief, he does not take responsibility "at all" for not providing Americans with enough test kits. 

从更深层次来看，特朗普此举也可谓“一石二鸟”：一方面试图转移民众对其政府抗疫不力的批评，另一方面继续抹黑污名化中国这一强有力的“竞争对手”。

On a deeper level, the move hits two birds with one stone. By blaming everything on China, Trump looks to deflect mounting domestic criticism for his administration's unpreparedness while tarnishing the image of America's main geostrategic rival.

北京大学美国研究中心主任王勇指出，特朗普这么做也是为了在经济、科技上和中国进一步脱钩。王勇认为，此前特朗普不断升级和中国的贸易摩擦，就是为了鼓吹所谓的“制造业回流”，增加美国国内的就业岗位。

By doing this, Trump also plays into the hands of militant right-wing interests that look for further decoupling from China, according to Wang Yong, Director of the Center for American Studies at Peking University. "Through further decoupling from China amid the trade conflicts, the president has an eye on bringing jobs back to the U.S. to address the country's perennial problem of its manufacturing hollowing-out," he added.

“作为世界上最大的两大经济体，中美两国合作抗疫对于美国乃至全世界来说都是非常重要的，”王勇在接受CGTN时采访时说道。他表示特朗普此时采用这种对华舆论攻势只会破坏中美两国双边关系，阻塞两国交往的渠道。

"As two of the world's largest economies, China-U.S. cooperation in fighting the pandemic is crucial not only for the U.S. but also the world," Wang told CGTN. "[For Trump to] engage in a fictitious propaganda effort will have a detrimental effect on bilateral relations and obstruct diplomatic channels."

王勇还指出，特朗普此时将疫情“甩锅”中国，也是为了在大选之年，挫败民主党，打赢“选战”。

Wang also noted that the Trump administration's obsession with the blame game is partly to get additional leverage in the competition with Democrats during this election year.

据美国《华盛顿邮报》报道，美国情报机构早在一月就对疫情发出了警告，称新冠肺炎可能构成全球大流行。然而特朗普总统和议员们却对威胁不予重视，没有立即采取行动遏制病毒的传播，反而将病毒比作季节性流感来误导民众，淡化病毒对美国人的威胁。

U.S. intelligence agencies warned the president of the dangers of COVID-19 and the potential for a global pandemic as early as January, according to The Washington Post. Despite repeated advice urging swift actions to curb the spread of the disease, Trump and U.S. lawmakers downplayed the risks associated with the virus and echoed the popularly misleading rationale that compared it to a seasonal flu.

People attend a protest in Washington, DC against United States sanctions on Iran, where the death toll from COVID-19 is rapidly rising /Reuters

《每日野兽》还披露道，那份企图“甩锅”中国的政府电文，还试图把美国对全球疫情的反应描绘成“非凡的人道主义”，称“美国和美国人民再次证明，他们是世界上最伟大的人道主义者”。

In classic Trumpian hyperbole, the cable also painted the U.S. and the American people as "extraordinary humanitarians," according to the Daily Beast website. 

然而，现实却与电文中所说的截然相反。三月中旬，伊朗的新冠肺炎死亡率不断攀升。疫情肆虐下，美国仍然对伊朗采取极限施压政策，甚至变本加厉，实施新的制裁措施。美国将几个从事与伊朗石油化工产品相关交易的公司列入制裁黑名单，给伊朗本就风雨飘摇的经济又来了一记重击。

In reality, the Trump administration has done little to show its charitable side in the midst of a global disaster. In mid-March, just as the death toll continued to climb in hard-hit Iran, the U.S. continued its "maximum pressure" campaign and further tightened sanctions against the country. It went as far as to blacklist a dozen companies that traded in Iran's petrochemicals – a critical lifeline that upholds the country's teetering economy.

而纵观美国国内，也未见美国政府所谓的“非凡的人道主义”。

目前，美国国内新冠肺炎确诊病例正在不断增加，各地防控措施也在不断升级。疫情之下，美国社会的种种问题也暴露无遗。

首先受到影响的是一些来自低收入家庭的孩子们，他们本可以在学校享用免费食物。疫情之下美国国内学校纷纷停课、关闭，许多学校外排起了为学生领取免费食物的“长龙”。

而一些美国贫困家庭也面临着食物短缺的风险。正常情况下，他们会去食物银行等慈善机构获取一些免费食物，而这些食物主要由当地超市及食品供应商捐赠。疫情影响下，普通民众纷纷囤货抢购，导致供应不足，食物银行获得的捐赠数量也因此大大减少。

As the number of coronavirus cases grows and drastic measures are taken, some Americans are being pushed like never before. Children from low-income families who eat free or subsidized meals in school, for instance, are affected by school closures that may last weeks. Long lines of cars are pouring out of school parking lots throughout the country, filled with families waiting to receive free meals handed out by school staff. People who can't afford nutritious or wholesome food are also going to food banks for free groceries, much of which are donated by local stores. With panic-buying depleting the shelves, donations from these stores have become scarce at a time when demand is surging.

People wait for help with jobless benefits in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., March 17, 2020. /AP

疫情也暴露了一些美国地方政府在应对能力上存在不足。为减少人群聚集和接触，许多政府颁布法令禁止大规模聚集活动，这也让服务业大受影响，从业人员因此失业。当失业人员登录地方政府网站想要寻求救济时，却发现网站已被如潮水般的救济申请“挤瘫”。

Deficiencies in the capacity many local governments have also been exposed. With more people laid off due to a service sector hit hard by bans on large gatherings and people fearing cross infections, unemployment offices are swamped with requests for financial help. Those choosing to apply for benefits online are seeing loading screens and long wait times as they overwhelm outdated government websites. 

与此同时，美国国内医疗防护装备也严重短缺，抗疫一线的医护人员们被迫重复使用一次性口罩和防护服。美国疾控中心甚至不得不提出建议，医务人员可以在万不得已时使用头巾或围巾自制口罩。

Meanwhile, stories of medical equipment shortages in hospitals nationwide continue to surface, in which doctors and nurses on the frontline reuse single-use masks and disposable gowns, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have had to issue guidance on using bandanas and scarves to cover faces if there are no better options.

特朗普政府的“甩锅”电文只会继续制作分裂和对立，对于抗击疫情来说毫无益处。

面对这样一场来势汹汹的人类危机，单枪匹马，必输无疑，万众一心，方能赢得胜利。

The Trump administration's message as demonstrated in the cable continues to sow a message of division. In times of crisis, a response of global solidarity from a world leader would better serve frontline workers and ordinary people fearing for their health and livelihood.

推荐阅读：