Donald Trump didn't attempt to prove his dominance over Irish President Catherine Connolly during their meeting on Saturday, according to body language expert Darren Stanton
Trump came face-to-face with Connolly (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Donald Trump ditched one of his infamous power moves while meeting Irish President Catherine Connolly on Saturday, a body language expert has noted as they dissect the leaders' tense greeting.
Connolly has said in the past that she abhors Trump's policies, describing him as a "bully," while Trump's previous comments about the Irish president suggest he seemed to think she was a man. So when they came face-to-face at 脕ras an Uachtar谩in on Saturday, it was widely expected to be a strained meeting.
Trump was met by a red carpet at the Irish president's residence. At the entrance, he was personally greeted by Connolly.
The pair shook hands and exchanged some brief words. Speaking on behalf of Covers, body language expert Darren Stanton noted their initial greeting appeared icy.
“There doesn’t appear to be a great deal of warmth when Trump and President Connolly initially. The smile Connolly gives appears to be more of a social smile than a genuinely warm one," he explained.
“The proximity between them is also interesting. There’s no real closeness, no hug and they both maintain a clear distance from one another. Neither makes an attempt to move closer," Darren added.
He said that the interaction appeared to be "quite transactional," with Connolly's body language suggesting while that she understands the benefits of a relationship for Ireland, she does not convey a "particularly warm or friendly relationship" with Trump.
In previous meetings with other leaders, Trump has attempted to prove his might in strange ways. Most famously, the US president is known for his tug-of-war handshakes.
In interactions with French president Emmanuel Macron, Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, German chancellor Angela Merkel, and others, Trump attempted to assert his dominance by tightly gripping the leaders' hands and refusing to let go.
But when it came to his meeting with Connolly on Saturday, Trump appeared to have ditched the odd handshake habit.
"There are more positive signs as the interaction develops. Their handshake is very balanced. They adopt similar positions and appear to have an equal grip, so it feels reciprocal rather than one person attempting to dominate the other," Darren notes.
“We don’t see the kind of power gestures we sometimes see from Trump during handshakes, and that could suggest a level of respect towards Connolly," he explained.
Darren went on to note that when Trump and Connolly remerged from the residence, their body language suggested that some "good progress" had been made.
“When Trump later walks out after the meeting, he appears fairly neutral and relaxed. There are no obvious behavioural signs to suggest the meeting has gone badly, while Connolly doesn’t appear irritated or uncomfortable either. Taken together, their body language suggests they may have made good progress during their meeting," he explained.
The body language expert continued: “We’re also looking for symmetry between the two of them. They maintain eye contact and neither appears particularly keen to break it first, which can be a positive sign of mutual respect.
“Their posture is also quite symmetrical, with the pair matching and mirroring aspects of each other’s body language. Mirroring can happen unconsciously when two people feel comfortable or have established a degree of rapport."
He concluded: “What’s significant is that we don’t see any obvious micro-expressions that contradict what they are outwardly portraying. Trump can consciously control certain gestures, but these more subtle behaviours are much harder to manufacture. Overall, there are some strong signs of respect and rapport between them despite that initially cool greeting.”
