Gergen: For the first time, US president is 'no longer regarded as world leader'. I'm sorry, but what does "leading from behind" mean if not a surrender of world leadership?

David Gergen: For the first time, US president is 'no longer regarded as world leader'

The former White House adviser, who has served under both Republican and Democratic administrations, initially appeared on a CNN panel calling Trump "presidential."
Gergen focused on the apparent successes stemming from Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin including confronting the issue of election hacking, discussing future cyberattacks, and possibly working together on Syria.
He then said, "This was presidential. This was big league stuff."
But hours later, the Harvard professor reappeared on CNN, saying that "this is the first time I've seen a president come to a G20 meeting in which he's no longer regarded as the leader, no longer regarded as the world leader."
Gergen followed up the comment by saying, "Europe is going its own separate way. Japan just signed this big trade agreement with Europe. That is troubling."

The United States was also an exception on climate change at the G20 summit as The Guardian noted, "19 of the 20 leaders were able to agree on all points made in the joint declaration (known as the communique) with the exception of Donald Trump who could not agree on climate change."
Gergen did, however, speak positively again about the extended session between Trump and Putin, saying that "it does mean they went deeper, they were more serious, they engaged more."

 According to Gergen,  we are not the world's leader because we,  the US as represented by President Trump,  agreed to all points but one issue embedded in some sort of pledge created by the G20.

Understand that America is not ruled by a "Presidente" who needs not include his Congress.  We are the only one of the G20 that, by US Constitutional writ, is not governed by an independent personality.  The Democrats have been moving the nation away from a US Constitutionally based government for 20-30 years now,  and into a so-called "global community" based in Belgium with UN treatise at the new center of American politics.  

Dems have been preaching for years and years,  that UN treatises have authority over our own US Constitution.  A Hillary victory would have "sealed the deal" in that regard.  

Apparently,  to Gergen,  "world leadership" means "tagging along with those who have little comparative history in matters relating to individual liberties."  So beit.  

Gergen found it "troubling" that the EU made a trade deal with Japan.  Why?  Trade with Europe is not a "zero sum game."  Trump will continue to trade with the EU,  but he will, also,  seek individual trade deals with nations,  around the world.   We are still the largest trading partner for the E.U.  

And if the EU wants to enslave its people, financially,   for the sake of a climate agreement that promises nothing in terms of actual results,  that should not be our concern,  nor does it mean that the United States is no longer a world leader.  

Gergen is a respected Harvard professor,  and that is part of the problem.  He is an academic who thinks that Academia is best qualified to manage the business features of world governance.  Good grief.