據美國《華盛頓郵報》4月19日報道，美國三位前總統在短短兩週時間內先後發聲，譴責現政府，這種情況在美國曆史上十分罕見。
Barack Obama urged Americans to resist President Donald Trump's bullying. Joe Biden warned that Trump is wrecking the "sacred promise" of Social Security. Bill Clinton decried the emphasis on grievances and the need to dominate.In an extraordinary stretch of just over two weeks, three former presidents of the US have taken to the public stage to sound the alarm against the current occupant of the White House, despite the tradition that former presidents generally refrain from publicly criticizing their successors.
2025年1月，克林頓、小布什、奧巴馬、特朗普出席美國前總統吉米·卡特的葬禮。圖源：華盛頓郵報
4月3日，奧巴馬在紐約州北部的漢密爾頓學院（美國最古老的學院之一）發表演講，反對特朗普對大學和其他機構的控制，並敦促那些有資源的人進行反擊。“解決這個問題取決於我們所有人，”奧巴馬說。“這不是因為有人來救你就能解決的。在這個民主國家，最重要的角色是公民，是那些敢於說‘不，這不對’的普通人。”
Obama spoke on Apr 3 at Hamilton College in Upstate New York, one of the country's oldest colleges, pushing back against Trump's pursuit of universities and other institutions and urging those with resources to fight back."It is up to all of us to fix this," Obama said. "It's not going to be because somebody comes and saves you. The most important office in this democracy is the citizen, the ordinary person who says, 'No, that's not right.'"
4月15日，拜登在芝加哥舉行的全國殘疾人倡導者、顧問和代表大會上發表講話，譴責馬斯克削減社會保障金的舉措，這是他卸任後首次公開發表講話。拜登稱，“在不到100天的時間裡，本屆政府造成了如此巨大的破壞和災難。”
Biden, speaking in Chicago on Tuesday at the national conference of Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled, denounced Elon Musk's cuts to Social Security, his first public remarks since leaving office. "The last thing [beneficiaries] need from their government is deliberate cruelty," Biden said, adding, "In fewer than 100 days, this administration has done so much damage and so much devastation."
4月19日，克林頓在俄克拉荷馬城舉行的紀念30年前艾爾弗雷德·P·默拉聯邦大樓爆炸案的儀式上發表了講話。克林頓將俄克拉荷馬城的團結與當前的國家分裂進行了對比。“就好像每個人都在爭論誰的怨恨最重要，誰的怨恨更合理，為了佔便宜而稍微誇大事實也是可以的，”克林頓說。
在特朗普大幅削減聯邦公務員人數之際，克林頓讚揚了聯邦工作人員的服務。他還強調了謙遜的重要性。“偶爾承認錯誤對人有好處，”他說。
Clinton spoke at an emotional ceremony in Oklahoma City on Saturday morning to commemorate the bombing 30 years ago of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which killed 168 people. Clinton compared the way that city has come together with the current national divisions."It's like everybody is arguing about whose resentments matter most, whose resentments are more valid, when it's okay to stretch the truth a little bit to gain an advantage," Clinton said.Clinton praised the service of federal workers at a time when Trump is slashing the federal workforce. He also made a case for humility. "It does you good every now and then to admit you're wrong," he said.
《華盛頓郵報》表述，雖然三位前總統的發言中均未明確提及提及特朗普的名字，但他們的態度不言而喻。在短短兩週多的時間裡，三位前總統紛紛公開發表言論，對白宮現任總統發出警告，而按照傳統，前總統通常不會公開批評繼任者。
Obama, Biden and Clinton did not explicitly name Trump, but their message was unmistakable.
唯一一位自特朗普開始第二任總統任期以來，沒有發表過批評言論的在世總統是共和黨人小布什，儘管他毫不掩飾自己對特朗普的不滿。
The only living president who has not spoken out since Inauguration Day is Republican George W. Bush, though he has made little secret of his antipathy for Trump.
哥倫比亞大學國際與公共事務學院歷史學家蒂莫西·納夫塔利表示：“前任總統擁有獨特的資格和地位，能夠在國家走向危險時發出聲音，警告美國人民。當他們發出警報時，人民應該傾聽。”
"Former presidents are uniquely qualified and situated to raise their voices and warn the American people if the country is taking a dangerous turn," said Timothy Naftali, a historian at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. "Think of them as a sort of advisory council to the people of the United States. And when the advisory council sounds the alarm, the people should listen."
納夫塔利表示，一位總統公開批評其繼任者的情況並不常見，但三位總統在如此短的時間內公開批評繼任者，或許是史無前例的。
《華盛頓郵報》稱，白宮沒有立即回應置評請求。
來源：環球時報 華盛頓郵報
推 薦 閱 讀