WASHINGTON – The world isn’t waiting for Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Joe Biden is still president, but the focus of other world leaders — and responsibility for the world’s problems — is quickly shifting to the man who will move into the Oval Office in six weeks.

Relive Trump’s weekend meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss negotiations between Moscow and Kiev to end their three-year war. And Trump’s statement on social media Saturday that he was determined to stay out of the stunning unrest in Syria. “This is not our fight,” he wrote in all caps for emphasis.

And at Mar-a-Lago in Florida last week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived unannounced to discuss, among other things, Trump’s new threat to impose 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico.

An “excellent conversation,” the Canadian leader said afterwards, although he received no assurances about the tariffs.

Gone is the long tradition that the United States has only one president at a time and that the president-elect generally tries to stay out of the way until he takes the oath of office. This was a practice that preserved the authority of the incumbent president and protected the new president from having to immediately deal with complicated crises.

It is also the law. The Logan Act, signed by President John Adams in 1799, prohibits an unauthorized American from dealing with a foreign government on behalf of the United States. Penalties can include prison time, although no one has ever been convicted of a violation.

But Trump’s rise to power on the world stage began as soon as the election was over.

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This reflects not only his personal inclination to speak out on all issues, but also the considerations of foreign leaders to move forward. The differences in political philosophy between Biden and Trump — from viewing the U.S. as an indispensable nation to the world to declaring “America first” — threaten to create a sense of global whiplash as other capitals readjust for the future.

From imposing tough tariffs to cutting military aid to Ukraine, Trump is promising some sweeping changes to Washington’s approach to the world.

On Sunday, Trump called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is rushing to send weapons to Kyiv before power changes hands in Washington.

Less shock, more calculation

The rapid acceptance by foreign leaders contrasts with eight years ago, when Trump unexpectedly won the presidency for the first time.

In 2016, American pundits and world leaders widely assumed that Democrat Hillary Clinton – an establishment figure known as a former first lady, New York senator and secretary of state – would control the White House over brazen Republican real estate development and – reality TV star is running for office for the first time.

Trump’s victory sparked shock, concern and some ridicule abroad. At a NATO summit in 2019, Trudeau was caught on camera mocking the president in a conversation with then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Macron and others. While Trump held an impromptu 40-minute press conference, Trudeau said, to laughter from others, “You just saw his team’s jaws drop.”

Trump called Trudeau “two-faced.”

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This time, Trudeau’s preemptive pilgrimage to Trump’s homeland was an act of respect, almost loyalty. When Trump traveled to Paris for the opening of the restored Notre Dame Cathedral, Macron placed him in the place of honor between him and his wife. First Lady Jill Biden sat in the row of chairs.

Foreign governments, like American politicians, took the possibility of a Trump victory seriously this time and tried behind the scenes to build relationships with the candidate and his inner circle.

Present at the Notre Dame ceremony was Elon Musk, the richest person in the world and the president-elect’s new best friend. Last month, defying the Logan Act, Musk met with the Iranian ambassador to the United States on Trump’s behalf to discuss strained relations between the two countries.

Wait – we’re still here

Biden is not ready to hand over power to the man he defeated for four years and has warned about ever since.

The Biden administration and France brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon last month, resuming talks on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that could halt or halt violence in Gaza.

Additionally, a goal of both Biden and Trump is to secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages seized by Hamas on October 7, 2023 – a victory for Biden that would remove a pressing crisis from Trump’s path .

After all, Trump’s top priorities during the campaign and since have focused not on foreign policy but on domestic issues, including the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, developing more energy sources and reforming the federal government.

But his agenda as president may not be entirely within his control given pressing developments abroad.

“There will be hell in the Middle East and for those responsible for committing these atrocities against humanity,” he warned on social media, if all hostages were not released by January 20. “Those responsible will be hit harder than anyone else.”

Biden’s words were more measured as he told the hostage families: “I will not stop working to bring your loved ones home where they belong.”

That is, at least until January 20th.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump’s takeover of foreign policy begins, from Syria to Ukraine