对于几位现代总统来说，这已成为一种令人遗憾的必经之路：在中期选举惨败后立即面对媒体，吞下一些苦果。
For several modern presidents, it’s become an unfortunate right of passage: talking to the press in the immediate aftermath of midterm election defeats and taking some unpleasant medicine.
例如，1994年选举日的第二天，比尔·克林顿承认民主党惨败，承认华盛顿存在“过多的照常政治”，并总结道：“昨天我们被追责了。”2006年选举日的第二天，乔治·W·布什回答记者提问，承认共和党刚刚遭受的选举“重创”。2010年选举日的第二天，巴拉克·奥巴马召开自己的新闻发布会，公开哀叹本党遭遇选举“惨败”。
The day after Election Day 1994, for example, Bill Clinton acknowledged sweeping Democratic losses, conceded that there had been “too much politics-as-usual in Washington” and concluded, “We were held accountable yesterday.”The day after Election Day 2006, George W. Bush fielded reporters’ questions and acknowledged the electoral “thumping” that Republicans had just suffered. The day after Election Day 2010, Barack Obama held a press conference of his own in which he publicly lamented his party’s electoral “shellacking.”
按理说，2026年选举日的第二天，唐纳德·特朗普可能会勉强做同样的事，以应对一个令人羞辱的选举周期，而且一度看起来似乎真会那样发生。白宫记者在周三早些时候获悉，总统想和他们说话。
The day after Election Day 2026, it stood to reason that Donald Trump might grudgingly do the same thing in the wake of a humiliating election cycle, and for a fleeting moment, it seemed like that might actually happen. Journalists covering the White House were alerted early Wednesday that the president wanted to speak to them.
但这位在任共和党人显然对反思选民的裁决或其摇摇欲坠的总统任期所剩无几的部分不太感兴趣。相反，特朗普退回到他的舒适区——花了近45分钟展示他心爱的舞厅虚荣项目的进展。
But the incumbent Republican apparently wasn’t much interested in reflecting on the voters’ verdict or what remains of his failing presidency. Rather, Trump retreated to his safe space — and spent nearly 45 minutes showing off the progress on his beloved ballroom vanity project.
即使对于一位以怪诞行为著称的总统来说，当时的情形也带有一种超现实感。就在一天前，特朗普的政党失去了对国会的控制权，并在全国各州的选票上下层级遭遇了一系列惨败。
Even for a president known for his bizarre antics, there was something surreal about the circumstances. Trump’s party, one day earlier, had lost control of Congress and suffered a series of brutal defeats up and down the ballot in states nationwide.
就是在这种背景下，总统把注意力转向了一个舞厅。以及他的钢材偏好。以及他为获取某种他喜爱的大理石所做的努力。以及他愿景的重要性，不是针对他的政策议程，而是针对即将安装的吊灯。
It was against this backdrop that the president turned his attention to a ballroom. And his steel preferences. And his efforts to obtain a certain marble that he liked. And the importance of his vision, not for his policy agenda, but for incoming chandeliers.
特朗普还特意抽出时间对记者说，他认为倒影池看起来“宏伟极了”，并补充道：“你们从上面看到直升机停机坪了吗？多漂亮啊？”这一幕让人几乎无法怀疑：这家伙已经完蛋了。就算他曾经真的在意过做好这份工作，那些日子显然也已经结束了。周三下午，他看上去就是一个根本不再在乎的人。
For good measure, Trump took some time to tell journalists how “magnificent” he thinks the Reflecting Pool looks, adding, “Did you guys see the helipad from up top, how beautiful that is?”The display left little doubt: This guy’s done. To the extent that he ever really cared about doing the job, those days are clearly over. On Wednesday afternoon, he looked like a man who simply no longer cares.
同样值得注意的是，看到总统如此印证了他在中期选举前所面临的诸多批评，竟显得格外贴切。长期以来，特朗普一直被指责对所属政党和国家（他名义上领导的国家）的需求视而不见，把自己的狭隘私利和个人追求置于一切之上。选举次日，他让人几乎无法怀疑，这些批评是准确的。
Just as notable was how oddly fitting it was to see the president reinforce so many of the criticisms he faced in the run-up to the midterms. Trump has long been accused of turning a blind eye to the needs of his party and the nation he ostensibly leads, putting his own parochial and personal pursuits above all. The day after the elections, he left little doubt that those criticisms are accurate.