Khaberni - During his meeting at the White House with newly elected New York Mayor Zehran Mumtaz, U.S. President Donald Trump displayed a series of decisive gestures and signals that caught the attention of body language experts, as they saw the President reemploy a style of influence previously used with Elon Musk to demonstrate his dominance and set the pace of the meeting.
Body language expert Judi James revealed that Trump blended an ostensibly friendly demeanor suggesting that Mumtaz was in his political pocket with clear power messages intended to show who holds the reins of leadership, noting that the stance of Zehran Mumtaz standing while Trump remained seated is a typical power move previously used by Trump with Elon Musk at the height of their friendship.
James added that the meeting, which the media expected to face sharp confrontation, turned into a scene of agreement between the two men, despite Trump having previously described Mumtaz as a "communist". She noted that the American president repeated what she described as "power rituals" during the handshake, placing his palm over Mumtaz's hand with a strong calculated press during the handshake, a movement typically used to impose dominance and show control, followed by successive pats on his arm in the same manner.
The expert pointed out that Trump, who was seen tapping his knuckles on the desk with soft hits indicating suppressed emotion, used his other hand on top in a "subduing movement" suggesting self-control.
In contrast, Mumtaz adopted a low-power posture, as she described, with his hands interlocked in front of his body, in an attempt to reduce tension and focus the conversation on points of agreement.
When Mumtaz moved on to discuss Middle East issues, James observed a fleeting grimace on Trump's face, which she considered a sign of suppressed annoyance, accompanied by a slight rise in his shoulders and a soft tap of his hand joints on the desk, before the two returned to exchanging glances and gestures reflecting an attempt to maintain calm and the course of the conversation.
Despite the calm atmosphere, James suspected that this harmony might not last long, especially in light of Trump's history with local officials, as he had previously overstepped their authorities on issues related to the National Guard and immigration operations.
