listening to his lawyer

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Does "listen to" here mean "eavesdrop" (which means "secretly listento")? Or does it mean "obey"?

Considering that the passage ends with "the S.S. Trump"(which stands for the Secret Service Trump), "eavesdrop" seems to be reasonable. I am not sure. The intelligence official warn Trump that such eavesdropping is illegal?

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The theme of abandoning the administration became apparent yesterday, when officials leaked the story that intelligence officials had warned Trump against listening to his lawyer Rudy Giuliani. This was a high-level leak, and suggests that more and more staffers are starting to look for a way off the S.S. Trump.

Source: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/october-16-2020

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Type: Question • Score: 0 • Views: 733 • Replies: 9

[+3] - maxdancona - 10/17/2020I am a native speaker of American English. I gave my impression. Take it or leave it. Your guesses don't make any sense to me. I would tell you that "your guess is as good as mine"......

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@oristarA,

In this context "listen to" means "take the advice of". The word "obey" is a little too strong.

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@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

In this context "listen to" means "take the advice of". The word "obey" is a little too strong.

intelligence officials thought his lawyer's advice to be bad ideas?

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@oristarA,

The confusing thing here is that are "officials" and "intelligence officials". They are not the same people.

1) The "officials" are the people who "leaked the story" about the "intelligence officials".

2) The "intelligence officials" warned Trump about listening to Giuliani.

The implication is that the "intelligence officials" didn't think Trump should follow Giuliani's advice.

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@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

2) The "intelligence officials" warned Trump about listening to Giuliani.

The implication is that the "intelligence officials" didn't think Trump should follow Giuliani's advice.

Regarding the title the S.S. Trump, are the intelligence officials part of the secret service? Here, the line is seemingly clear: the Secret Service Trump - Intelligence officials - the Secret Service. I am not sure.

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@oristarA,

The term "S.S. Trump" is almost certainly a reference to a boat. In olden days some boats where designated "S.S." which I believe referred to "steam ship". I don't believe it has anything to do with the secret service.

I think the writer intends to compare "Trump" to a sinking ship.

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@maxdancona,

Steam Ship sounds more irrelevant. Google "S.S. Trump" and see what you could find there. Social Security? Secret Service? ...

Quote:

Trump Praises His 'S.S.' For Protest Crackdown; Critics Go ...
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/secret-service-ss...
Jun 12, 2020 · President Donald Trump on Thursday hailed the brutal and controversial crackdown on protesters in Washington last week by law enforcement groups ― including the Secret Service, which he referred to as the “S.S.”

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@oristarA,

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@oristarA,

I am a native speaker of American English. I gave my impression. Take it or leave it.

Your guesses don't make any sense to me. I would tell you that "your guess is as good as mine"... except your guess isn't as good as mine.

The phrase is "looking for a way off the SS Trump". This is very clearly a nautical reference (and a cliche that any American would get).

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@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

The phrase is "looking for a way off the SS Trump". This is very clearly a nautical reference (and a cliche that any American would get).

This makes sense. :thumps up

https://tse4-mm.cn.bing.net/th/id/OIP.foH0-UaPf2_ltSvn3MSKUgHaD4?w=276&h=180&c=7&o=5&dpr=1.88&pid=1.7

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listening to his lawyer

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