What is one to make of the rise of Donald Trump? It is natural to think of comparisons with populist demagogues past and present. It is natural, too, to ask why the Republican party might choose a narcissistic bully as its candidate for president. This, though, is not just about a party, but about a great country. The US is the greatest republic since Rome, the bastion of democracy, the guarantor of the liberal global order. It would be a global disaster if Mr Trump were to become president. Even if he fails, he has rendered the unthinkable sayable.
怎麼看唐納•川普(Donald Trump)的崛起？人們自然會將他與古往今來善於煽動人心的民粹主義政客做番對比。人們也自然會問，爲何共和黨會選擇一個盛氣凌人的自戀狂作爲其總統候選人。然而，這不僅僅與一個政黨有關，而且還與一個偉大的國家有關。美國是自羅馬以來最偉大的共和國，是民主體制的堡壘，還是全球自由秩序的保障。如果川普最終成爲美國總統，那將是一場全球災難。即便失敗，他也讓不可思議之事成爲了人們的談資。