近期，特朗普的“對等關稅”政策引發美國各界的深切憂慮，金融市場也隨之劇烈震盪。而在此關鍵時刻，美國總統辦公室的氣氛卻顯得尤為詭異。
當地時間4月12日，英國《衛報》駐華盛頓分社社長大衛·史密斯發表題為《“完全脫離現實”：經濟崩潰之際，特朗普“國王”卻打高爾夫、吃席》的文章，對此進行了深刻描繪。
史密斯指出，特朗普在股市大跌之際展現出一種漠不關心的姿態，顯示出他對普通民眾的焦慮毫無共鳴，反而身邊盡是唯命是從的“馬屁精”（yes man）。
Casual attitude as markets fall suggests man detached from anxieties of ordinary voters – and surrounded by yes men
新關稅政策一出臺，迅速引爆全球金融市場的緊張情緒，而特朗普卻選擇返回佛羅里達打高爾夫，彷彿刻意躲避風頭……
僅一週後，迫於壓力不得不調整關稅政策的特朗普，又在白宮邊接待賽車冠軍，邊為自己的“戰略退卻”找補。
After lighting a fuse under global financial markets, Donald Trump stepped back – all the way to a Florida golf course. A week later, having just caved to pressure to ease his trade tariffs, the US president defended the retreat while hosting racing car champions at the White House.
史密斯寫道，儘管美國經濟正遭遇嚴重動盪，特朗普卻在這段時間打高爾夫，與金主共進晚宴，甚至輕描淡寫地宣稱：“現在正是致富的好時機。”
文章稱，這清晰地展現了特朗普在動盪不安、極端風格的第二任期中的執政狀態：隨性而為，荒誕不經，從一個公開活動匆匆奔向另一個，周圍圍繞著不敢忤逆他的“廷臣”。
It also provided a clear illustration of how Trump governs during his volatile and extreme second presidency: erratically, with little attention to convention, and often on the hoof from one public engagement to another surrounded by courtiers who never disagree with him.
宣佈前不到3小時才確定方案
文章特別提到，特朗普特意避開愚人節，將4月2日定為他所謂的“解放日”（liberation day）。當天，他在白宮玫瑰園、巨幅國旗下，宣佈對數十個國家施加全面關稅，以一種廣受質疑的方式，試圖徹底重塑全球貿易格局。
據《華盛頓郵報》報道，特朗普直到活動開始前三小時才拍板最終方案。但他注意到副總統JD·萬斯及其他幕僚全都畢恭畢敬，似乎無一人敢提出異議。
一位接近特朗普核心圈的人士坦言：“他已經到了完全不在乎後果的地步。壞消息？他毫不在意。他只管兌現競選承諾。”
揮杆間萬億蒸發
在全球市場因新關稅政策蒸發數萬億美元市值的當天，特朗普卻飛往佛羅里達，參加一場沙特資金贊助的高爾夫錦標賽。三天行程引發輿論一片譁然。
4月4日，特朗普在其創辦的社交平臺“真相社交”上全大寫字母發文，為自己辯護並誓言堅持到底：“致所有對美投資的朋友——我的政策永遠不會改變。”
"TO THE MANY INVESTORS COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES AND INVESTING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF MONEY, MY POLICIES WILL NEVER CHANGE."
圖源：Getty Images
而就在同一天，四名在立陶宛軍演中陣亡的美軍士兵遺體被運返美國，特朗普卻沒有親自出席多佛空軍基地的迎靈儀式，只派遣國防部長代表他出席。
當天晚上，他則現身“MAGA Inc.”政治組織舉辦的高端燭光晚宴，傳聞每位賓客需繳納百萬美元入場費。
整個週末，特朗普連續征戰家族高爾夫球場，白宮高調宣佈他成功晉級錦標賽決賽。與此同時，內閣成員在各大政治訪談節目上疲於奔命，傳遞出互相矛盾的信息——有的聲稱關稅政策已成定局，有的則暗示總統仍對談判持開放態度。
When Sunday came the president played on even as his cabinet members scrambled to political TV shows and offered conflicting signals, with some insisting that his tariffs were set in stone and others suggesting that he remained open to negotiation.
“完全脫離現實”
面對來自盟友、商界和黨內日益高漲的反對聲音，特朗普最終重返華盛頓。可他回到首都後的首場公開活動，卻是為棒球世界大賽冠軍洛杉磯道奇隊舉辦慶功儀式。
4月8日晚，特朗普身著燕尾服出席華盛頓一場籌款晚宴，聲稱自己的關稅政策正迫使各國領導人“低頭來談”，甚至用粗俗語氣炫耀：“那些國家都打電話來拍馬屁，快跪下來求著籤協議了。”
然而轉天，他的立場突變。在“真相社交”上宣佈：雖然繼續對中國加徵關稅，但將暫停部分關稅90天，為談判留出空間。這一轉折打破了他精心營造的“權力與財富堅不可摧”的幻象。
分析指出，特朗普歷來對醜聞和失言具備“免疫體質”，但這次在市場劇烈波動中展現出的輕浮態度，徹底暴露出他與普通美國人（包括許多支持者）情緒之間的巨大脫節。
Trump has often proved impervious to the kind of scandals or gaffes that would damage another politician, but his casual attitude even as the markets were on fire suggested a man uniquely detached from the anxieties of ordinary people, including his own voters.
《紐約時報》一位專欄作家甚至將他比作莎士比亞筆下的理查三世：“他站在舞臺邊緣，用幽默包裝惡行。《週六夜現場》的模仿精準捕捉了這種分裂——前一秒插科打諢，後一秒強權畢現，令人恍惚間不禁懷疑：等等，他真的在做我以為的那件事嗎？”
"Richard III comes up to the edge of the stage and wraps the audience into the bad thing he's about to do, he tells them and he uses humour so that he's supposed to be the villain, but the humour kind of counters it so you don’t think of him as badly.
"Trump does the same thing... He has this kind of wacky side so then when he does the very authoritarian stuff you get deflected by the crazy side he has. I think the Saturday Night Live mimic captures this where he's sort of being funny, so then when he turns authoritarian, you're thinking: wait, is he really doing what I think he's doing?"
民主黨策略師庫爾特·巴德拉也評論道：“他活脫脫就是‘瘋王’諷刺漫畫的真人版。當你在晚宴廳穿著燕尾服，要求民眾吞下苦藥；當經濟動盪正在全美乃至多國蔓延，你卻享受著第N次高爾夫假期——往好了說，你這是完全脫離現實。”
“往壞了說，你就是個毫不在意他人疾苦的病態自戀狂。這樣下去，遲早要為此付出政治代價的。”
"He's certainly living up to the caricature of being a mad king," said Kurt Bardella, a Democratic strategist. "When you're addressing a ballroom in a tuxedo, telling people to take the painful medicine, or on your umpteenth golf vacation while economic chaos is rippling throughout this country and others, at best you're completely out of touch.
"At worst, you're a sociopathic narcissist who doesn't give a crap about anyone suffering. Ultimately there will be a political price to pay for that."