近一个月来，白宫一直没有新闻秘书，这是现代美国历史上此类空缺时间最长的一次。填补这一职位似乎并不紧迫。
For nearly a month, the White House has been without a press secretary, the longest such gap in modern American history. There is little sign of urgency to fill the job.
自卡罗琳·利维特8月离职以来，这段时间绝非风平浪静。唐纳德·特朗普总统的支持率跌至迄今最低点，他升级了与美国盟友的贸易战，而与伊朗的冲突即将进入第七个月，仍无明确结束迹象。这些足以让首席发言人忙得不可开交。
The stretch since Karoline Leavitt left her post in August has hardly been quiet. President Donald Trump’s approval ratings have hit their lowest point to date, he has escalated a trade war with U.S. allies, and the war with Iran is nearing its seventh month with no clear end in sight. That is more than enough to keep a chief spokesperson busy.
即便如此，一些高级助手并不着急，希望这份工作由白宫内部人士担任。据一位知情人士透露，该人士因描述内部决策过程而获准匿名，最近几周，他们一直在努力劝阻特朗普不要选择外部人选，例如保守派CNN评论员斯科特·詹宁斯，后者曾成为早期热门人选。
Even so, some senior aides are in no hurry, and want the job to go to someone already inside the White House. In recent weeks, they have worked to steer Trump away from an outside pick such as Scott Jennings, the conservative CNN commentator who emerged as an early favorite, according to a person familiar with the decision-making process who was granted anonymity to describe internal deliberations.
利维特的办公桌并未空置：白宫通讯主任史蒂文·张已搬进使用。但她的职位依然空缺。
Leavitt’s physical desk hasn’t sat empty: Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, has moved into it. But her job remains vacant.
在这一空缺期间，特朗普试图禁止三大媒体机构——MS NOW、CNN和《政治报》的记者进入白宫场地。他本人将此举称为“禁止自由新闻”，这迅速成为对第一修正案的重大考验。
In that absence, Trump attempted to bar journalists from three major media outlets — MS NOW, CNN and Politico — from the White House grounds. He himself referred to the move as a “ban on the free press,” and it quickly became a significant test of the First Amendment.
据两位熟悉白宫内部运作的人士透露，如果利维特仍在白宫，此事本不会发生。这两人因坦率谈论记者禁令而获准匿名。他们都认为，利维特本能够劝阻特朗普收回该决定。
It would not have happened had Leavitt still been in the building, according to two people familiar with the White House’s internal dynamics, who were granted anonymity to speak candidly about the press ban. Both suggested she would have been able to talk Trump down from the decision.
“这次禁令是那种让人不得不问：现在总统身边都有谁？这种事怎么会发布出来，竟让他自己的部分高级助手也感到意外，”其中一人说道。
“The ban is one of those moments where you’ve got to ask who’s around the president right now and how did something like this get sent out, catching some of his own top staffers by surprise,” one of the people said.
另一位人士形容，目前新闻办公室的内部动态比利维特任职期间与特朗普的联系更少——这也是为什么特朗普的这一举动让白宫新闻办公室的所有人都感到意外，包括高级工作人员。白宫未就此事回应《MS NOW》的置评请求。
The other person described the internal dynamics of the press shop right now as less tethered to Trump than during Leavitt’s tenure — which is why Trump’s move caught everyone in the White House press shop by surprise, including senior staffers.
周四，一名法官下令特朗普恢复这三家新闻机构的采访权限。当天晚些时候，这三家机构的记者已重返白宫场地。该命令为临时性质，在诉讼进行期间解除禁令。
The White House did not respond to a request for comment from MS NOW for this story. On Thursday, a judge ordered Trump to restore access for the three news outlets. Journalists for all three were back on White House grounds later that day. The order is temporary, lifting the ban while the court case proceeds.
这一插曲凸显了白宫的信息传递在多大程度上现在都通过特朗普本人进行。为本文描述内部动态的两位人士，以及另一位接受《MS NOW》采访的第三人士，都表达了大同小异的观点：特朗普是他自己的最佳传声筒，全体白宫工作人员都深信这一点。
The episode underscored how much of the White House’s message now runs through Trump himself. The two people who described the internal dynamics, along with a third who spoke to MS NOW for this story, all made some version of the same point: Trump is his own best messenger, and all of the White House believes that.
第三人士补充道，问题在于特朗普——就像这次一样——可以在未经过白宫常规传播渠道的情况下，做出广泛的宣言，引发两党的强烈反弹和与极权主义的比较。
The problem, the third person added, is that Trump — as in this case — can make sweeping declarations that draw bipartisan backlash and comparisons to authoritarianism without running it through the White House’s usual communications channels.
这种单方面行事的冲动有助于解释为什么特朗普迟迟没有急于任命新任新闻秘书。他欣赏利维特的忠诚和对记者的强硬风格。虽然他看大量有线电视新闻，但他还没在评论员圈子里看到任何他认为值得招致麾下、担任其最坚定、最公开的捍卫者的人选。
That impulse to act unilaterally helps explain why Trump has felt little urgency to name a new press secretary. He was fond of Leavitt’s fierce loyalty and a combative style with journalists. And although he watches plenty of cable news, he has yet to see anyone on the pundit circuit he deems worth bringing into the fold as his most ardent and public defender.
在此期间，新闻办公室拼凑出了一个临时架构。特朗普前竞选发言人丹妮尔·阿尔瓦雷斯承担了高级职务，以帮助度过漫长的过渡期。特朗普的长期顾问杰森·米勒也转任高级信息传递角色——尽管他是在利维特离职前就已到位。
In the meantime, the press shop has patched together a temporary structure. Danielle Alvarez, a former campaign spokesperson for Trump, has taken on a senior role to help bridge the long transition. Jason Miller, a longtime Trump adviser, has also moved into a senior messaging role — although he did so before Leavitt left.
但据一位描述内部动态的人士透露，阿尔瓦雷斯和米勒均无意主持新闻发布会。过去两个月，白宫仅举行了两场新闻发布会：一场由莱维特主持，另一场由副总统万斯主持。
But neither Alvarez nor Miller intends to host press briefings, according to one of the people describing internal dynamics. The White House has held just two press briefings in the past two months: one by Leavitt and one by Vice President JD Vance.