When Joe Biden entered the White House in 2021 it was possible to believe that Donald Trump’s reign had been an aberration.(2021年拜登入主白宫时，人们有理由相信特朗普的统治只是一段反常插曲。) “America is back. The transatlantic alliance is back,” the new president declared to relieved European leaders shortly after winning the 2020 race. It was true, but not long.
2021年乔·拜登入主白宫时，人们有理由相信唐纳德·特朗普的统治只是一段反常的插曲。“美国回来了。跨大西洋联盟回来了。”这位新总统在赢得2020年大选后不久，向如释重负的欧洲领导人如此宣告。这话当时不假，但好景不长。
Trump’s defeat proved that US democracy was mechanically operational, not culturally robust. His supporters tried violent subversion(颠覆，破坏) to prevent the inauguration(就职典礼， inauguration) of a successor. A second term should have been unthinkable. Republicans who failed to denounce the 6 January insurrection(暴动，叛乱) should have been unelectable. Instead, within four years, US voters reinstated the champion of a failed coup against their cherished constitution as commander-in-chief.(然而短短四年内，美国选民竟把这位对珍视的宪法发动未遂政变的旗手重新推上三军统帅之位。)
特朗普的败选证明，美国民主只是在机制上还能运转，在文化上却并不牢固。他的支持者曾试图以暴力颠覆来阻止继任者就职。他的第二个任期本应是不可想象的。那些未能谴责1月6日国会暴乱的共和党人，本应再也选不上。然而，短短四年之内，美国选民竟把这位针对他们珍视的宪法发动未遂政变的旗手，重新推上了三军统帅之位。
That is worth remembering in any analysis of midterm(中期选举的) congressional elections. Voting was under way at the time of writing. Opinion polls in the run-up(在……前夕，在准备阶段) favoured Democrats. But it is a measure of how grievously Trump has imperilled democracy that peaceful completion of that process, followed by a fair count, cannot be anticipated with confidence.(但特朗普对民主的危害之深，恰恰体现在人们无法确信这一过程能和平完成并公平计票。)
在分析中期国会选举时，这一点值得牢记。本文写作时，投票正在进行。选前民调对民主党有利。但特朗普对民主的危害之深，恰恰体现在这一点上：人们竟无法确信这一过程能和平完成、计票能公平进行。