Filling the vacuum President-in-waiting is wasting no time in seizing the agenda
The Guardian|December 09, 2024
The grand reopening of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on Saturday was attended by about 50 heads of state and government. Joe Biden was not there to admire the magnificent splendour of the 850-year-old place of worship, but Donald Trump was.
David Smith
Filling the vacuum President-in-waiting is wasting no time in seizing the agenda

The role reversal neatly symbolised how power is draining from one man to the other. Biden, now a lame duck, appears to be in decline physically and politically, fading from America's national stage and tarnishing his legacy with a pardon for his errant son.

Trump, however, is already dominating the Washington agenda more than 40 days before he takes the oath of office.

He has grabbed attention with incendiary cabinet selections and policy pronouncements. He has begun flexing his muscles with world leaders. To many Americans, it feels like Trump is already president again.

"Biden's presidency is ending with a series of whimpers rather than a bang and it feels like he's shrinking into irrelevance as Trump is asserting himself," said Charlie Sykes, a conservative author and broadcaster. "If you're a foreign leader, you may talk to Biden out of politeness, but you're going to listen to Trump out of naked self-interest."

Since defeating Kamala Harris in last month's election, Trump has in effect set up a shadow presidency at Mar-a-Lago, his club in Florida.

His threat of 25% tariffs on foreign imports led the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, to rush to Mar-a-Lago with a promise of increased border security measures. Trump also said Mexico had agreed to close its border, a claim contradicted by the Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum.

Mike Waltz, Trump's pick for national security adviser, has credited Trump with bringing Israel and Lebanon to the negotiating table, though some political analysts have said there is no evidence he has had any direct involvement.

Esta historia es de la edición December 09, 2024 de The Guardian.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición December 09, 2024 de The Guardian.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE THE GUARDIANVer todo
The Guardian

Police investigation into Post Office is of 'unprecedented' size

The police criminal inquiry into the Post Office has identified dozens of persons of interest so far, as a team bolstered to 100 officers investigates the actions of executives, legal teams and civil servants connected to the Horizon IT scandal.

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 12, 2024
The Guardian

Tories are in an echo chamber chamber with their leader set to self-destruct, luckily for Labour

It could have been Farage or Anderson asking the questions. Badenoch was hellbent on annexing the Reform agenda

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 12, 2024
Assad's downfall planned by US and Israel, claims Iran's supreme leader
The Guardian

Assad's downfall planned by US and Israel, claims Iran's supreme leader

Iran's supreme leader has claimed the US and Israel acted as the command centre that engineered the downfall of Syria's former president, Bashar al-Assad, and the ousting of Iran from the country.

time-read
3 minutos  |
December 12, 2024
Islamic State Begum and 65 other Britons in prisons face uncertainty amid offensive
The Guardian

Islamic State Begum and 65 other Britons in prisons face uncertainty amid offensive

Shamima Begum and 65 other Islamic State-linked Britons detained in prisons and camps in north-east Syria face an uncertain future as Turkish-backed rebel groups continue an offensive against the Kurdish groups who guard them.

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 12, 2024
Golan Heights Druze population on Syrian border fear territorial battles
The Guardian

Golan Heights Druze population on Syrian border fear territorial battles

On the outskirts of the Druze village of Majdal Shams, high in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a gate in the fence leads to the supposedly demilitarised buffer zone on the Syrian side.

time-read
4 minutos  |
December 12, 2024
What will US do now? The risks raised by a hands-off approach
The Guardian

What will US do now? The risks raised by a hands-off approach

For a Biden administration in its final days, managing the downfall of Bashar al-Assad was not on the cards.

time-read
3 minutos  |
December 12, 2024
'Finally we can breathe' Country gets back to work after president is ousted
The Guardian

'Finally we can breathe' Country gets back to work after president is ousted

When Hayyan Maqsoud, the director of Syria's postal service, returned to work, the first thing he did was remove the portraits of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and his father, Hafez, from the walls of his Damascus office.

time-read
3 minutos  |
December 12, 2024
The Guardian

Bowel cancer cases in under-50s on the increase across the world

The number of under-50s being diagnosed with bowel cancer is increasing worldwide, according to landmark research that also reveals rates are rising faster in England than in almost any other country.

time-read
2 minutos  |
December 12, 2024
Gregg Wallace 'harassed young journalist with creepy texts'
The Guardian

Gregg Wallace 'harassed young journalist with creepy texts'

Gregg Wallace is accused of sending inappropriate texts to a young female reporter asking her for \"a snog\" and leaving \"creepy\" voicemails after taking her number under the pretext of work.

time-read
3 minutos  |
December 12, 2024
The Guardian

Brief respite over after years of Tory jibes

Many civil servants breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the back of the Conservatives in July - a hoped-for end to long-running pay disputes, the looming axe of job cuts and a sense of chaos.

time-read
1 min  |
December 12, 2024