Unsurprisingly, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has called it. A professional historian by trade, Gingrich has put out his latest at gingrich360.com, with the headline: “President-Elect Trump: The De Facto President.” Among other things, the former speaker says this: I thought his second term would start on his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025 … It never occurred to me that President Trump’s fame, energy, and drive — and President Joe Biden’s collapse — would lead to a totally new model. The actuality is that President Trump has become the de facto President. De facto in Latin means “in reality or as a matter of fact.” When French President Emmanuel Macron greeted President Trump with the full honors of state during his recent trip to Paris, it was clear that the mantle of American power had shifted decisively to President Trump. When President Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Macron to discuss Ukraine, it was clear where the center of world power resided. The images of President Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were a powerful contrast to Meloni’s recent meeting with President Biden, in which she had to go find him and lead him back to a group photo. Furthermore, Meloni is a conservative populist. She is solving illegal immigration and creating economic growth, in a manner similar to President Trump. Unsurprisingly, per usual, Gingrich has zeroed in exactly on what is going on in both Washington and the world at large. For reasons the American people are well familiar with — a declining mental state, his lame duck status, serious problems with the elites of his own party, not to mention stories out there that the president is going to have big trouble raising money to establish his own presidential library, it is apparent Joe Biden is president in name only. On the contrary, President-elect Donald Trump is dominating both the national and world stage. Traveling to Paris to commemorate the re-opening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, it was Trump who was sought out by the collection of world leaders who had gathered to honor the Cathedral’s renovation after a severe fire had done considerable damage to the centuries-old landmark. The host of the event, French President Emmanuel Macron, greeted Trump like a long-lost brother-in-arms, smiling broadly at the reunion of the two presidents of their old allied nations. Gingrich took note of this headline from a Politico story: “Biden shrinks from view ahead of Trump’s return to Washington: With 42 days left in office, Biden avoids unscripted moments or press questions.” Among other things Politico notes: Joe Biden is president of the United States for 42 more days. But within the Democratic Party, on Capitol Hill — and even within his own administration — it feels like he left the Oval Office weeks ago. Biden has effectively disappeared from the radar in the wake of Democrats’ bruising electoral loss. Since Nov. 5, he’s largely stuck to prepared remarks, avoided unscripted public appearances or press questions and opted to sit out the raging debate over Donald Trump’s victory, policy conversations in Congress and the Democratic Party’s future. Bad enough as all of that is, there was this from a former Biden White House official: “He’s been so cavalier and selfish about how he approaches the final weeks of the job.” In short, America and the world beyond are simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief that Trump is coming back while treating him as if he already were back as the duly sworn-in president. The one problem for all of this on the horizon is that, in fact, it is still Biden who wields the legal authority of the presidency until Jan. 20. And America’s rivals and adversaries on the world stage are watching. Doubtless calculating what they feel they can get away with in making mischief as long as Biden is legally in charge. Not good. Stay tuned. READ MORE from Jeffrey Lord: The Trump TikTok Post-Election Data The Borking of Pete Hegseth The Biden Corruption The post Newt Gingrich: Trump the De Facto President appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.