TAround 50 heads of state and government were expected at the ceremonial reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Saturday. Joe Biden was not there to admire the magnificent splendor of the 850-year-old church. But Donald Trump was.

The role reversal symbolizes well how power passes from one man to another. Biden, now a lame duck, appears to be in decline both physically and politically, disappearing from America’s national stage and tarnishing his legacy with a pardon for his erring son.

However, Trump is already dominating the agenda in Washington more than 40 days before he takes the oath of office. He has attracted attention with inflammatory cabinet appointments and policy announcements. He has begun flexing his muscles with world leaders. For many Americans, it feels like he is already president again.

“Biden’s presidency is ending with a series of whimpers rather than a bang, and it feels like he is shrinking into insignificance as Trump asserts himself,” said Charlie Sykes, a conservative author and broadcaster. “If you are a foreign leader, you may speak to Biden out of politeness, but you will listen to Trump out of naked self-interest.”

Traditionally, the United States has only had one president at a time, both in practice and in spirit. But since defeating Biden’s Vice President Kamala Harris in last month’s election, Trump has effectively established a shadow presidency at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida club long called his “Winter White House.”

He is already working with foreign executives. His threat of 25% tariffs – taxes on foreign imports – prompted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to rush to Mar-a-Lago with the promise of increased border security measures. Trump also said Mexico had agreed to close its border, a claim contradicted by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Just like in his first term, Trump can shape things and move markets with a single social media post. He sent shares of US Steel plummeting by writing on Truth Social that he would block its planned takeover by Japanese company Nippon Steel.

Mike Waltz, Trump’s pick for national security adviser, has blamed Trump for bringing Israel and Lebanon to the negotiating table, although some political analysts said there was no evidence Trump was directly involved. The president-elect vowed to “pay for everything in the Middle East” if the Gaza hostages were not released before his inauguration.

In the meantime, he is taking advantage of the strong stock market, calling it a victory for his policies and boasting about turnarounds in diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at companies like Walmart.

On Monday, the Trump transition team issued a press release headlined: “Promises kept – and President Trump hasn’t even been sworn in yet.” It argued that Trump, who still has no official powers, is already securing the border, internationally Working toward peace, driving economic growth, and dismantling “divisive, uncontrolled DEI.”

Critics point out that economic indicators – including the stock market – have long been trending in the right direction, while recent dramas in South Korea, Syria and Ukraine cast doubt that Trump’s “peace through strength” mantra is already paying dividends .

Nevertheless, Trump and his team are proving once again that they can sell a narrative that suits them. Reed Galen, president of JoinTheUnion.us, a pro-democracy coalition, said: “It is a combination of Trump’s bravado, the further or final dismantling of all the processes we have taken for granted for too long, and their instinctive and perhaps even unconscious ability to to occupy one.” Vacuum when they feel one.”

He added: “If Biden spends most of his time abroad and does very little to address this issue, they will take all the ground that was given to them.” Call it Maga, call it the Republican Party of the 21st century – when they see an opportunity, they take it.

“They don’t worry about the outcome. They don’t worry about the consequences. They’re not worried about someone saying, you can’t do that, you shouldn’t do that. They say we’ll do it and good luck stopping us. Apparently it scared Trudeau enough that he flew to Mar-a-Lago.”

In theory, Trump’s conversations with world leaders could violate the Logan Act, a federal law that bans unauthorized private diplomacy with foreign nations. But only one person has ever been charged with violations – that was in 1803 and did not result in prosecution. Legal experts do not expect Trump to run afoul of this now.

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But his actions represent a break with the norms of the past. President-elects tend to maintain a respectful distance from the incumbent until it is their turn to occupy the White House. Franklin Roosevelt firmly declined an invitation from the man he had defeated, Herbert Hoover, to join in a concerted effort to pull the economy out of the Great Depression.

Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said: “I’m old enough to remember the disappearances of elected presidents. I don’t think we saw Kennedy three times, except in the late fall of 1960 when we went to church.

“Reagan made one public appearance after the election; They caught him going into a store to get supplies or something. That was expected. You didn’t interfere with your predecessor because he was still president.”

But the perception of Trump’s authority has been accelerated by Biden’s waning influence. This week, Biden became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Angola and the first to set foot in Africa since Barack Obama in 2015. His speech received little attention and was viewed less than 2,000 times on the official White House YouTube channel.

Biden, 82, also faces intense criticism from fellow Democrats for pardoning his son Hunter for federal crimes after previously promising not to do so. Some see it as a vote of no confidence in the justice system that Biden has sworn to protect — and a gift to Trump in his ongoing efforts to undermine democratic institutions.

The Axios website reported: “A Biden friend said the president seems older by the day – slower in his walk, more halting in his speech.” For some Biden loyalists, his decline is a sad metaphor for his presidency: He started strong, but will end up weaker.”

In contrast, the 78-year-old Trump is once again dominating headlines with a barrage of social media posts and controversy around the clock. A cabinet member was forced to resign amid allegations of sexual misconduct; another is in trouble for allegedly assaulting women and abusing alcohol; A third party is causing great concern among intelligence experts because of its willingness to believe conspiracy theories. The growing popularity of Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, is also causing nerves.

Washington feels like the circus is back in town – or maybe it never left. Sykes, author of How the Right Lost Its Mind, said: “It feels like a continuation of the last four years, where Donald Trump, even though Joe Biden was president, felt like he was a politically dominant force for so long. “

“Unfortunately, when people look back on the Biden presidency, they will comment on how reserved and reticent Biden was compared to the man he defeated. I’m not sure there’s a historical parallel for this. The Trump show has been running for almost a decade now and is sucking up all the oxygen.”