特朗普对林肯纪念堂倒影池的升级成了场灾难。为什么会引发如此大的愤怒？
Trump’s upgrade of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool…
The latest in the president’s long list of upgrades, renovations and new monuments has sent social media into a frenzy.
总统一系列升级、翻修和新纪念碑项目中的最新进展，已让社交媒体陷入狂热。
US President Donald Trump loves to regale anyone within range of his decades of experience with real estate and building, his thorough knowledge of steel, concrete, stones, paints, plasters, gold, colours – all the materials that bring buildings, plazas, memorials and parks to purpose and vibrancy.
美国总统唐纳德·特朗普喜欢用他数十年的房地产和建筑经验，为任何在他范围内的听众讲述故事。他对钢材、混凝土、石头、油漆、灰泥、黄金、色彩——所有让建筑物、广场、纪念碑和公园发挥作用并充满活力的材料——有着透彻的了解。
As president, Trump revels in ensuring he has the power to resuscitate, redeem and renew government property and public real estate – to rebuild and refurbish to perfection.
作为总统，特朗普热衷于确保自己拥有恢复、赎回和更新政府财产和公共房地产的能力——将其重建和翻新至完美状态。
To that end, he has statues and fountains cleaned and repaired, roads repaved and parks replanted. Those smaller projects are welcome. Many Washington precincts look better, cleaner, fresher.
为此，他让人为雕像和喷泉清洁和修复，道路重新铺设，公园重新种植。这些小型项目是受欢迎的。许多华盛顿地区的景象看起来更美好、更干净、更清新。
But much of what Trump has conceived is not applauded. The latest of these is the outrage cause by the US$14 million (A$20.2 million) renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which now has large strips of blue paint peeling away and a significant problem with algae.
但特朗普构想的大部分内容并未受到赞扬。最新的一例是美国花费1400万美元（澳元2020万）翻修林肯纪念堂倒影池，该水池现在有大块剥落的蓝色油漆和严重的藻类问题。
The president insists it is the work of vandals. Social media is in meltdown. So how did it come to this?
总统坚持认为这是破坏分子的行为。社交媒体已经陷入了混乱。那么，事情是如何发展到这一步的呢？
In his image
在他的形象中
In Trump’s second term, he has instituted several major Washington revamps with apparent disregard for public opinion. While there are laws, commissions, boards, and experts who are to be consulted on these things, Trump has ensured that those processes are realigned to comport with his will.
在特朗普的第二个任期内，他推行了数项重大的华盛顿改造工程，这些改造明显无视公众舆论。尽管就这些事情需要咨询法律、委员会、董事会和专家，但特朗普确保了这些流程都被调整以符合他的意愿。
The first shocking destruction was the demolition of the East Wing of the White House. As Hillary Clinton said, “It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.”
第一次令人震惊的破坏是白宫东翼的拆除。正如希拉里·克林顿所说：“这不是他的房子。这是你的家。而他在摧毁它。”
All the artwork, the furnishings, and all the history of the service by First Ladies to the mansion and the country, demolished. The photos make it look like a casualty of a second world war bombing.
所有艺术品、家具以及历届第一夫人为这座宅邸和国家奉献的历史，都被夷平了。照片看起来就像二战轰炸的战果。
All this destruction is to build a ballroom, at a cost of US$400 million (A$576 million) , for social occasions. Months earlier, Trump had Jacqueline Kennedy’s rose garden dismantled. In its place, a Mar-a-Lago style patio, with iron furniture and umbrellas placed on stone pavement.
所有的破坏都是为了建造一个舞会厅，用于社交场合，成本高达4亿美元（澳元5.76亿）。几个月前，特朗普还拆除了杰奎琳·肯尼迪的花园。取而代之的是一片马尔-拉戈风格的庭院，上面摆放着铁制家具和遮阳伞，铺设在石板路面上。
The Oval Office’s white door has gold lettering in script affixed to it, informing those on the grounds that they are indeed at “The Oval Office”. Trump’s White House evokes a hotel.
椭圆形办公室的白色门上贴上了金色手写字体的铭牌，告知所有到场人员他们确实身处“椭圆形办公室”。特朗普的白宫让人联想到一家酒店。
Trump engineered the takeover of the John Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, a memorial to JFK with the grandest stages in Washington for culture, theatre, music, film and celebrations. Trump purged the board and installed his loyalists. The motive behind this coup was crystal clear when Trump decreed the building be renamed The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
特朗普主导接管了约翰·肯尼迪表演艺术中心（John Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts），这是一个纪念JFK、拥有华盛顿最宏伟舞台的文化、戏剧、音乐、电影和庆典场所。特朗普清洗了董事会，并安插了自己的心腹。当特朗普宣布将该建筑更名为“唐纳德·J·特朗普和约翰·F·肯尼迪表演艺术中心”时，其背后的动机就昭然若揭。
A judge ruled this was unsupported by existing law and Trump’s name be removed. It was – at 3am one recent morning – with the work concealed by tarp hanging from the roof to the ground. The latest reports show that behind the tarp, Trump’s name has indeed been removed.
一位法官裁定这不符合现有法律，要求移除特朗普的名字。然而，在最近的一个清晨凌晨三点，这项工作却以从屋顶垂下的防水布遮盖起来的方式完成了。最新的报道显示，在这块防水布后面，特朗普的名字确实已经被移除了。
Trump has visions of an arc of triumph on the Memorial Bridge over the Potomac, to be a gateway to the haunting solemnity of Arlington National Cemetery, where those who made the ultimate sacrifice in battle to protect the United States and its people rest in eternal peace. Trump was inspired by his Bastille Day 2017 presence with French President Emmanuel Macron. Trump loved the military parade on the Champs Elysee, anchored by the Arc de Triomphe. His Washington must have it.
特朗普设想要在波托马克纪念桥上打造一座胜利的拱门，使其成为通往阿灵顿国家公墓那令人心碎庄严之地的大门，那里安息着那些为保护美国和人民而浴血奋战、做出最终牺牲的人们。特朗普受到了他在2017年巴士底日出席法国总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙活动时的启发。他喜欢香榭丽舍大街上的阅兵式，其核心是凯旋门。他的华盛顿也必须拥有它。
Peeling paint and algal blooms
脱落的油漆和藻类爆发
Now, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. It traverses a gorgeous setting between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. It has been world famous since Martin Luther King gave his “I Have A Dream” address on civil rights there in 1963.
现在，林肯纪念堂的倒影池。它坐落于华盛顿纪念碑和林肯纪念堂之间一片美丽的景观之中。自马丁·路德·金在1963年在此发表关于民权的“我有一个梦想”演讲以来，这里就闻名世界。
But the pool has been troubled for decades with plumbing and drainage issues, algae, trash, and discoloration. Trump wanted it fixed in time for America’s 250th on July 4 this year. No-bid contracts with friendly associates were signed. There was cleaning, waterproofing, sealant and its now-famous “American Flag Blue” colour.
但这个池子几十年来一直饱受管道和排水问题、藻类、垃圾以及变色带来的困扰。特朗普希望它能在今年7月4日美国建国250周年之际修好。他与一些“亲友”签订了无招投标合同。进行了清洁、防水处理、密封，并使其拥有了现在著名的“美国国旗蓝”色。
The repairs failed within days. The algae were back, the drainage was clogged, the colour was anything but blue. Trump blames vandals for trashing the pool and shredding the sealant. A former Olympian was arrested for putting his hand in the water to feel the torn strip of the blue paint.
修理工作在几天内就失败了。藻类又回来了，排水系统堵塞了，颜色哪里还有得是蓝色。特朗普指责破坏者毁坏了池子并撕毁了密封剂。一位前奥运选手因将手伸入水中触摸那条被撕裂的蓝色油漆而遭到逮捕。
Attempted repairs when Barack Obama was president did not do the job. But why has this debacle under Trump received so much attention?
奥巴马总统时期尝试的修复工作并没有奏效。但为什么在特朗普任期内，这场闹剧却获得了如此多的关注？
Trump has been obsessed with showing off his plans for the Reflecting Pool. He has talked about it incessantly in the Oval Office. But every moment spent on the pool is a moment not addressing the economic crisis caused by his war in Iran. Voters understand this all too well.
特朗普一直痴迷于展示他对倒影池的计划。他在椭圆形办公室里喋喋不休地谈论着它。但花费在池子上的每一分钟，都是没有解决他伊拉克战争所引发的经济危机的时刻。选民们对此深有体会。
Moreover, the Reflecting Pool is a place of meditation and peace. It is not behind a barrier fence like the White House. It is not an elitist fine arts institution like the Kennedy Center can often be. It is not an imperial edifice like the proposed arc on the Memorial Bridge.
此外，倒影池是一个冥想和宁静的地方。它不像白宫那样被围栏隔开。它也不是像肯尼迪中心这类往往带有精英色彩的艺术机构。它更不是纪念桥上拟建拱门那样的宏伟帝国建筑。
The Reflecting Pool is for the people to gather, to remember, to reflect, to honour, to celebrate, to breathe. Now, like so much in this second Trump term, it has fallen into scandal and disrepair.
倒影池是供人民聚集、铭记、反思、致敬、庆祝和呼吸的地方。现在，就像特朗普第二个任期内的大部分事情一样，它也陷入了丑闻和破败之中。
Bruce Wolpe receives funding from the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. He worked on the Democratic staff in the US House of Representatives and has contributed to Democratic candidates for Congress and the presidency in the United States.
布鲁斯·沃尔普（Bruce Wolpe）获得了悉尼大学美国研究中心（United States Studies Centre）的资助。他曾在美国众议院民主党工作人员处工作，并为在美国参议院和总统选举中的民主党候选人提供了协助。
