美国国家公共电台 NPR NPR/Ipsos Poll: Americans Aren't So Hot On 'America First'

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

President Trump¹ arrived in Saudi Arabia this morning - the start of his first overseas trip and a test of Mr. Trump's approach to foreign policy, which he spelled out in his inaugural² address.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: From this day forward, it's going to be only America First.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: America First.

SIMON: A new NPR-Ipsos poll finds that Americans have widely differing views of that approach, but a majority of both Republicans and Democrats³ want the United States to continue its engagement with the world. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE⁴: NPR and its polling partner, Ipsos Public Affairs, surveyed more than 1,000 people across the country, asking what America First means to them. For Stephen Coppola, who lives in Nebraska, it means keeping the focus close to home.

STEPHEN COPPOLA: We have our own problems here in this country. And we should take care of our people first before we worry about what other people are doing in other countries.

HORSLEY: Amanda Rehfeldt of California shares that sentiment but only up to a point.

AMANDA REHFELDT: I believe that we should absolutely take care of our own country, but I don't believe it should be Americans first and forget about others.

HORSLEY: Indeed, more than half the people we surveyed say America's foreign policy should focus on maintaining the current international order, with America at the center but not all by itself. Less than a quarter of those polled say leaders should look out for Americans even if it harms people elsewhere.

CLIFFORD YOUNG: We find a super majority support for basically seeing the U.S. as a force for good in the world.

HORSLEY: Pollster Clifford Young, the president of Ipsos Public Affairs, says that viewpoint is broadly shared across the political spectrum⁵, though Democrats and Republicans may express it differently.

YOUNG: Democrats see the role of the United States in the world in more sort of aspirational⁶ terms, while Republicans see it much more in transactional terms.

HORSLEY: As a result, Democrats in the survey were much more likely to say foreign policy should promote democracy and human rights in other countries, while Republicans tend to prefer policies that enrich America and Americans. While the phrase America First was used by isolationists in the 1940s, Trump's national security adviser⁷, H.R. McMaster, says it shouldn't have that connotation today.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

H R MCMASTER: President Trump understands that America First does not mean America alone - to the contrary. Prioritizing American interests means strengthening alliances and partnerships⁸ that help us extend our influence and improve the security of the American people.

HORSLEY: Trump's trip includes a meeting in Brussels with NATO allies. The president has often complained that only a handful of NATO countries are making the necessary investment in their own defense⁹, forcing the U.S. to spend more.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TRUMP: I will strengthen all friendships and will seek new partners but partners who also help us, not partners who take and take and take.

HORSLEY: Majorities in both parties say America should provide humanitarian¹⁰ aid to foreign countries. But Young says a large number of both Republicans and Democrats are wary¹¹ of intervening in foreign conflicts to bring peace.

YOUNG: It's the word intervention¹². Yes, we want to help countries, but we don't want to be stuck in their conflicts forever.

HORSLEY: And despite the president's frequent criticism of international trade deals, the survey found large and bipartisan support for using trade as a tool of American diplomacy¹³. Nearly 8 out of 10 Democrats and Republicans agree with that policy. Scott Horsley, NPR News, the White House.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

3 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

6 aspirational   

志同的，有抱负的

参考例句：

• Most of the images that bombard us all are aspirational. 轰击的图像，我们都期望最大。
• Analysts said self-help and aspirational reading could explain India's high figures. 分析师们指出，自助读书、热爱读书是印度人均读书时间超过别的国家的主要原因。

7 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

8 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

9 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

10 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

11 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

12 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

13 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。