US President-elect Donald Trump and Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, were seen conversing inside the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral before a ceremony celebrating its reopening after the 2019 fire. The event took place in Paris, France, on December 7, 2024, as reported by Reuters.
Although Donald Trump's official inauguration is scheduled for January 20, he is already conducting himself as if he is the US president on the global stage. President-elect Trump has already made his mark on US diplomacy, particularly in addressing crises in Syria and Ukraine, as he prepares for his second term in the White House. World leaders have been eager to engage with Trump, and he was honored as the guest of distinction at the grand reopening of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris over the weekend. Meanwhile, outgoing President Joe Biden, who is 82 and serving a single term, was notably absent from the ceremony, as he increasingly retreats from the spotlight.
"It's not at all surprising that Trump would start acting as a shadow president," said Colin Clarke, director of research at security consultancy The Soufan Group, in an interview with AFP. "And I don't think it's inappropriate at this stage, because that's the dynamic that will be at play." However, while Trump was often a disruptor in diplomatic affairs during his first term, he now faces a more unstable international landscape in his second presidency. "It seems like the world is going a little crazy right now," Trump remarked during his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, his first foreign trip since the November 5 election.
The non-interventionist Trump has frequently expressed his desire to keep the United States out of further Middle Eastern conflicts and has advocated for reducing US aid to Kyiv. As Syrian President Bashar al-Assad faced instability on Saturday, Trump posted on his Truth Social network that the United States should "not get involved"—despite the presence of hundreds of US troops in northern Syria. However, Assad's sudden downfall at the hands of Islamist-led rebels means Trump will likely find it difficult to ignore the volatile region. Trump, ever the dealmaker, even saw an opportunity in the situation. He suggested on Sunday that Russia had abandoned its ally Assad due to its focus on the war in Ukraine, and that it was now time for Vladimir Putin to act and seek a ceasefire with Kyiv.
Separately, Trump, who has pledged strong support for Israel, warned that there would be "hell to pay" if Gaza militants did not release hostages by the time of his inauguration. These announcements followed a pattern for Trump, who frequently surprises both allies and adversaries by unveiling policies on social media. Earlier this month, he used a series of nighttime posts on Truth Social to announce plans to impose tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China if they did not halt the flow of migrants and drugs into the United States.
"His recent statements and actions regarding US foreign policy may seem unusual compared to other incoming US presidents, but they are entirely consistent with his past behavior," said Brian Finucane, a senior advisor at the International Crisis Group. Trump's shadow presidency is particularly influential because foreign leaders increasingly view the aging Biden as "essentially nonexistent," according to The Soufan Group's Clarke. "Most other world leaders are ready to move on and start figuring out how to deal with an incoming Trump administration," he added. This includes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, who, despite his concerns that Trump might push Ukraine into a deal that cedes territory to Russia, met with the US president-elect in Paris under Macron's guidance.
This creates a precarious situation for Biden as he attempts to solidify his foreign policy legacy while facing the man he once described as a threat to democracy. In his final months in office, the outgoing Democrat has increased military aid to Ukraine and partially claimed credit for both Assad's downfall and a ceasefire deal in Lebanon. However, Trump will inherit from Biden one of the most complex sets of foreign policy challenges faced by any president in decades. "That's part of being the president, right? He's not only the president in good times, but in challenging times," said Clarke.
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