President Joe Biden still has over a month left in his presidency, but his influence has been almost entirely eclipsed by his successor, Donald Trump.

Since the Democratic Party's defeat in the U.S. elections, Biden has largely avoided public appearances. He has relied on pre-prepared statements, refrained from engaging extensively with the press, and avoided commenting on Trump’s victory or the Democratic Party’s future.

Meanwhile, world leaders have flocked to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida or held calls with the President-elect. Last weekend, Trump was a guest of honor alongside numerous heads of state at the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris—a notable absence for Biden.

During his trip to Paris, Trump participated in a trilateral meeting on December 7 with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He also weighed in on the situation in Syria, where opposition forces were close to toppling President Bashar al-Assad, asserting that “the U.S. should not get involved in the conflict there,” demonstrating the role of a de facto Washington policymaker. Biden, by contrast, issued his first comments on Syria only on December 8, after opposition forces had already taken control of Damascus and overthrown Assad.

“There’s a total lack of leadership from the White House,” a Democratic source told Politico. Biden’s subdued approach contrasts sharply with how Barack Obama handled the transition when Trump was first elected in 2016. At the time, Trump urged Obama’s administration to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement expansion. Obama ignored Trump’s pressure and allowed the resolution to pass.

“The U.S. has only one president at a time,” Obama’s deputy national security adviser declared at the time. Obama also held a post-election press conference at the White House—something Biden has yet to do.

Missed Opportunities in Transition

Some Democrats believe Biden is squandering a critical period for the transition of power. They argue that the White House’s muted presence is one of the Democratic Party’s most significant challenges.

Trump’s dominance has left Democrats unable to articulate a clear and consistent message to voters, who increasingly rely on social media for information. This failure has hindered efforts to lay the groundwork for rebuilding the party after losing the White House, Senate, and House to Republicans.

“Most voters don’t know who Kash Patel, Matt Gaetz, or Tulsi Gabbard are,” said Waleed Shahid, a progressive Democratic strategist, referencing individuals Trump has nominated for key positions in his upcoming administration. “But they would know if Biden addressed these nominations. The only way to win the battle for attention is to engage directly with voters, something Biden has repeatedly avoided.”

Trump’s Shadow Looms Large

While Biden remains silent, Trump has used Truth Social to announce a slew of policy intentions for his second term. These include imposing tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China if they fail to curb migration and narcotics entering the U.S., as well as threatening a 100% tariff on BRICS members.

“Such foreign policy declarations from a President-elect are unusual, but they are quintessentially Trump,” Brian Finucane, a senior adviser at the Belgium-based nonprofit International Crisis Group, told AFP.

“It’s no surprise that Trump is positioning himself as a ‘shadow president,’” said Colin Clarke, director of research at the security think tank The Soufan Group.

According to Clarke, Trump’s growing influence stems partly from Biden’s failure to assert himself in his final days. “Most world leaders are ready to move on and start strategizing for Trump’s second term,” Clarke noted.

Among those leaders is Ukrainian President Zelensky, who has sought to meet Trump despite concerns that the President-elect might push Ukraine into a disadvantageous deal to end its conflict with Russia. Zelensky is working to convince Trump to continue U.S. support for Ukraine.

Democratic Party Tensions

Some aides have acknowledged Biden’s absence in discussions about responding to Trump’s second term and shaping the Democratic Party’s future. They cite two reasons for this: Biden’s belief that few people are interested in his input and his feeling that he owes little to a party that sidelined him during the presidential race.

Many senior Democrats openly pressured Biden in July to step aside from the presidential race, urging him to make way for Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris ultimately lost to Trump in the election.

“In discussions I’ve been part of, Biden’s name doesn’t even come up. It’s sad,” one Democratic insider said. “It feels like Donald Trump is already running the White House.”

Some Democratic officials and aides have stopped paying attention to Biden’s day-to-day activities. Last week, their discussions revolved mainly around whether Biden would pardon his son Hunter, who was invited to White House events, and whether staff would get farewell photos with the President.

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates defended Biden, saying the President “is making the most of every remaining day in office” and “setting an example for American democracy by respecting the will of voters and ensuring an orderly transition of power.”

Bates pointed out that Biden has criticized Trump’s agenda in media interviews, including in November when he warned that the President-elect’s tax policies would “backfire.”

Ezra Levin, co-founder of the nonprofit group Indivisible, suggested Biden could take bolder steps to strengthen the Democratic Party’s position and his own legacy in his final days. Levin said Indivisible had submitted proposals to the White House, but there has been little indication that Biden intends to counter Trump’s growing influence.

(Sources: AFP, Politico, WSJ)

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