从策略层面来看，在中期选举前夕让唐纳德·特朗普大肆宣传各州的具体项目，在政治上确实有一定道理。事实上，这位共和党总统也绝非首位试图通过向当地选民传递利好消息来助力盟友的在任总统。
As a tactical matter, it makes a degree of political sense to see Donald Trump touting individual projects in specific states ahead of the midterm elections. Indeed, the Republican is hardly the first incumbent president to try to boost an ally by delivering some good news to local voters.
不过，特朗普实施的这一策略存在一个致命缺陷：它本质上是不诚实的。
The trouble with Trump’s version of this strategy is that it’s inherently dishonest.
举例来说，两周前，总统在白宫接待了来自阿拉斯加州的共和党参议员丹·沙利文，两人共同庆祝韩国决定投资540亿美元在沙利文所在的州修建液化天然气管道项目。然而没过多久，韩国政府便澄清称该协议尚未最终达成；韩国产业部长金正宽对记者表示，针对特朗普的宣布内容“远远超出了双方约定范围”，韩国政府已向美方提出“强烈抗议”。
Two weeks ago, for example, the president welcomed Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska to the White House, where the two celebrated a $54 billion South Korean investment in a liquid natural gas pipeline project in the senator’s home state. It wasn’t long, however, before South Korea’s government made clear that the deal wasn’t complete and Korean Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan told reporters that he had “lodged a strong protest” with the administration over Trump’s announcement, which “went far beyond what was agreed.”
同一周，这位共和党总统又在椭圆形办公室举办另一场活动，宣布“美国历史上规模最大的钢铁厂”将在艾奥瓦州兴建——该州正是共和党面临多场激烈竞选的州。当时，商务部长霍华德·卢特尼克站在特朗普身旁称：“这项协议已经敲定。”然而事实是，该协议根本尚未达成。
The same week, the Republican president hosted a separate event in the Oval Office and announced that the “largest steel plant in American history” would be built in Iowa, where party is facing several competitive races. “This deal is done,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said, standing at Trump’s side. The deal, however, isn’t even close to being done.
据《华盛顿太阳报》报道，经查阅相关地产记录后发现，截至周二，负责该项目的梅萨比金属公司及其印度母公司埃萨集团，在计划建厂的艾奥瓦州李县乃至整个艾奥瓦州均未购置任何地产。
The Washington Sun reported As of Tuesday, the company behind the project, Mesabi Metallics, and its Indian parent company, the Essar Group, did not own property in Lee County, Iowa — where the plant is supposed to be built — or in the state of Iowa, according to The Washington Sun’s review of property records.
这一宣布的时机也引发了民主、共和两党的州议员们的质疑。数月前他们便获悉，艾奥瓦州正与阿肯色州等多个州争夺这家钢铁厂的落户权。不少议员担心，中期选举因素在这一宣布中起了决定性作用，总统此举可能是在抢先宣传尚未成型的计划，最终反倒会损害艾奥瓦州民众的利益。
The timing of the announcement has raised eyebrows among both Democratic and Republican state lawmakers, who were told months ago that Iowa was in competition with several other states, including Arkansas, for the steel mill. Some said they feared the midterms played an outsized role in the announcement, and the president was getting ahead of actual plans — possibly to the detriment of Iowans.
本周，类似情况再度发生。周三下午，特朗普通过自己的社交媒体平台宣布：“这是历史上规模最大的采购协议。”据他称，根据该协议，台湾方面将出资数百亿美元，用于购买拟建的阿拉斯加能源管道所输送的液化天然气。
This week, it happened yet again. On Wednesday afternoon, Trump used his social media platform to announce“the largest Offtake Agreement in History,” which he said would include Taiwan investing tens of billions of dollars’ worth of liquefied natural gas from a proposed Alaska energy pipeline.
“这是阿拉斯加历史上最伟大的项目，只有我在任总统时才能促成此事，”特朗普补充道。
“This is the GREATEST Project in Alaska History, and this only happens with me in the White House,” the president added.
据《Politico》报道，特朗普刻意回避的一个事实是：该项目的资金问题至今仍存在争议，甚至有可能最终无法实施。
Politico reported what Trump neglected to mention was that funding for the project is still in dispute, and it’s possible that it will never actually happen.
如果选民们真的以总统近期的这些声明作为投票依据，或许有必要仔细研读这些极具误导性的夸耀之词背后的细节。
To the extent that voters are basing their election decisions on the president’s recent announcements, they might want to read the fine print on his wildly misleading boasts. The post In midterm desperation, Team Trump boasts about ‘done deals’ that aren’t actually done MS NOW