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This fealty hardly guarantees Mr. Trump re-election:
他們的這種忠誠堪稱有力地確保了特朗普的連任機會：
He has never garnered a 50 percent approval rating as president
身為總統的他支持率從未達到50%，
and over half of voters tell pollsters they will oppose him no matter who the Democrats nominate.
且超過半數的選民都對民調機構表示，無論民主黨提名誰，他們都會反對他。
But the shoulder-to-shoulder unity stands in contrast to Democrats at the moment,
共和黨的一致團結與此時民主黨內部的情形——初選期間溫和派與自由派一直爭論不休，
with their contentious moderate-versus-liberal primary that was on full display in Thursday night's debate.
周四晚間的辯論更是充分地暴露了這一問題——形成了鮮明的對比。
And it is all the more striking given Mr. Trump's deviations from longstanding party orthodoxy on issues like foreign policy and tariffs.
鑒于特朗普在外交政策，關稅等問題上再三偏離共和黨長期以來的正統立場，這一點就更加引人注目了。
"He has a complete connection with the average Republican voter and that's given him political power here,"
“他做到了與黨內的普通選民心意相通，正是這一優勢賦予了他在此地的政治地位，”
said Representative Patrick McHenry, Republican of North Carolina,
北卡羅來納州共和黨眾議員帕特里克·麥克亨利說。
adding: "Trump has touched the nerve of my conservative base like no person in my lifetime."
接著，他又說道：“我這輩子還沒見過有誰能像特朗普那樣打動我保守派的基層。”
Interviews with current and former Republican lawmakers as well as party strategists,
對共和黨現任議員，前任議員以及該黨政策專家——
many of whom requested anonymity so as not to publicly cross the president,
他們中間有許多人都要求匿名，以免公開惹怒特朗普——的采訪顯示，
suggest that many elected officials are effectively faced with two choices.
許多當選官員實則都已陷入兩難之境。
They can vote with their feet by retiring —
他們可以選擇退休，不再支持共和黨——
and a remarkable 40 percent of Republican members of Congress have done so
特朗普就職以來，國會已有足足40%的共和黨議員選擇退出，
or have been defeated at the ballot box since Mr.Trump took office —
或是在投票環節敗下陣來——
Or they can mute their criticism of him.
也可以選擇閉口不作批評特朗普之語。
All the incentives that shape political behavior — with voters, donors and the news media —
所有左右政治行為的因素——連同選民、金主以及新聞媒體一起——
compel Republicans to bow to Mr.Trump if they want to survive.
都在逼迫共和黨人，要想生存，便只能向特朗普低頭。
Sitting in a garland-bedecked hotel restaurant in his former district,
此時此刻，特洛特正坐在底特律郊區一家裝飾有花環的酒店餐廳內，如今，這里已不再是他的選區。
Mr. Trott said that he did not want to seek re-election "as a Trumper" —
特洛特稱，他不想“以特朗普粉”的姿態尋求連任——
and that he knew he had little future in the party as an opponent of the president.
不過他也知道，反對總統的他在黨內幾乎已經沒有任何前程可言。
There is no market, he said, for independence.
他說，獨立已經沒有了市場。
Divergence from Trumpism will never be good enough for Democrats;
對民主黨而言，僅僅是與特朗普主義反向而行還遠遠不夠；
Mr. Trump will target you among Republicans, Mr. Trott added,
特朗普和共和黨人都會針對你，特洛特接著說道，
and the vanishing voters from the political middle will never have a chance to reward you
逐漸消失的中間派選民也沒有機會感激你，
because you would not make it through a primary.
因為你連殺出初選的可能都沒有。
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