Before they even exchanged a word, the distinction between UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump was immediately apparent when they met at the White House for high-stakes discussions on diplomatic relations. Body language experts claim that the conference revealed a lot about their characters and power dynamics, according to the Mirror.
Trump was described as” completely relaxed” and “grounded” by body language professional Caroline Goyder who dominated the experience. ” Trump is the grizzly, totally at ease, on his house ground. The difference don’t become starker”, Goyder told ITV. ” Whatever you think about Donald Trump, he is Mr Charisma with Mr Logic… Mr Legal. And so it’s wonderful, It’s like Mars and Venus”.
By comparison, Goyder observed that Starmer looked like a “boy in his new college dress” when arriving at the White House. The British Prime Minister appeared sluggish and uneasy, yet pulling his sleeves as if toiling for the second. During their conversation in the Oval Office, Starmer was seen touching his stomach, which Goyder interpreted as a” self-soothing” gesture.
Trump’s “bottomless meal of lowering strategies”
Trump wasted no time in setting the tone by using natural gestures to proclaim supremacy over world leaders. At one point, he made the mockery of Starmer by posing as a “on your own” questioning whether the UK was defeat Russia. Trump claimed that Western countries would be reimbursed for their contributions to the Ukraine while the US would not, but the American PM reacted with rebuttal. Starmer pointed out:” We’re not getting all of ours. Quite a bit of ours was gifted, it was given, there were some money, but generally it was brilliant, really”.
According to brain language professional Judi James, Trump’s methods were predictable. Speaking to The Mirror, she described his hugs as” a deep meal of lowering practices”, often designed to leave competitors off-balance.
His shake and yank is the most deadly ritual, according to James, because he will get the hand and hurl it at him before suddenly and violently rip it in his direction or absent, leaving the other person in disarray and trying to keep their balance. ” He may even power-pat to record superiority”.
Trump’s past with earth leaders is filled with such instances. When he met Theresa May, he held her hand in a way that made it seem extremely comfortable. Boris Johnson forced him to drop a stairway as if he were a socialite at a game with him. Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, again slammed Trump’s hand thus forcefully that it remained on his skin. Macron’s softly pushed Trump’s hand aside when the US president placed it on his knee during a subsequent meeting, only for Trump to hit it again in a show of defiance. ” Trump did, of course, enjoy filthy if pushed”, James noted.
‘ Worst-case incident for Starmer ‘
James believes Starmer planned to work a sense of power throughout the conference, but his inevitably measured approach may have been detrimental to him. Starmer will almost certainly want to incorporate some of his own beta management power into their rituals for body language, she said. However, his view contrasts with Trump’s extreme design.
James suggested Starmer taking signals from the Royal Family, who project confidence without strong fight. Prince Philip often displayed some upper-class appeal, but with an oblique smile and twinkle inside that appeared to be a hint of chuckle. Prince William makes his position seem like a given, but he frequently uses a more sheepish charm. Because they always maintain their respect and consequently their status, the royals did not provide any hand-wrestling competitions.
While Starmer hoped to establish himself as a powerful head on the global stage, James cautioned that Trump’s final power grab might just come off as disinterested. Trump just exerts body language efforts when he thinks an opposition is for it, she said.
It might be the worst of all the options if he simply adopts a pleasant lip-clamped teeth, sits slumped with his hands between his legs, taps his fingers along in a gesture of impatience, and makes out some cliche about Starmer being” an I may do business with.”
The conference was seen as a check of Starmer’s politics, with Ukraine higher on the agenda. Without US assistance, Vladimir Putin might reach once more, the Prime Minister urged Trump to support a security assurance for Ukraine. However, in the battle of brain speech, experts say it was evident who had the upper hand. ” Trump is all about charisma”, said Goyder. Starmer must first get to know him on that amount if he wants to stand out.
