Alpha males, ‘genuine' smiles & power gestures…Trump & Putin's body language dissected as they try out macho each other
The US President greeted his Russian counterpart on the tarmac at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Air Base on Friday.
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The pair went on to address the world in a brief press conference and negotiate with their teams in private.
Putin looked relaxed as he walked down a red carpet towards Trump - giving the US leader a thumbs-up before greeting him with a warm handshake.
Both of them then shared a moment alone in Trump's presidential limo - known as The Beast - before posing for journalists during a chaotic photocall.
Their public interactions were watched and poured over with fine tooth comb - not just to find out the diplomatic outcome of their historic meeting, but also to dissect the two men's relationship.
A top body language expert told The Sun that Trump and Putin tried to display their egos in a "frenzy" moment to perceive themselves as the two most powerful men on earth.
Darren Stanton, known as the human lie detector, said Putin and Trump were matching each other's "power gestures" in a show of force to convey confidence and authority.
There were also subtle signs showing Trump was trying to look stronger than Vlad.
Mr Stanton said: "Both men displayed what we call the reverse steeple gesture, which is used to convey power and authority.
"Both Putin and Trump are Alpha males and fully aware of what these gestures mean. Both men are trying to convey confidence, being self-assured.
"They used the signs to express, 'I will not be pushed around. I am the most dominant person here'.
"Both Putin and Trump match and mirror each other's gestures and behaviours. Putin is the only politician that Trump does not employ his full arsenal of trying to undermine, intimidate and make them look weak. He always meets Putin on mutual ground.
"But there were signs that Trump was trying to look stronger and also trying to be subtle."
He added that Trump's hero welcome of Putin will likely rattle America's European allies and Zelensky.
Mr Stanton added: "Zelensky will not be happy about the way Trump welcomed Putin. The fact that Trump pulled all the stops and gave him a grand welcome."
The expert said Trump showed a mutual respect for Putin, and both leaders had a genuine smile on their faces despite all the side issues.
This was seen when the US leader lightly applauded his Russian counterpart as he approached him on the tarmac.
And later when he "gently patted" his hand - a symbolic gesture of familiarity and friendliness.
Trump also broke from his usual approach as the pair shook hands, opting to have his hand under Putin's showing a more "subordinate position".
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Body language expert Patty Ann Wood told Newsweek: "Trump typically likes to have his hand on top, but here it appears he presented his palm up—a weaker, more subordinate position—indicating he sees Putin as more powerful."
While Trump showed initial deference to the Russian leader, he followed up the handshake with a pat on Putin's back.
Ms Wood said this is a subtle "sign of dominance" and it symbolically says "I could strike you if I wanted to."
When the pair sat down for questions from journalists, pleasantries turned to chaos as the press pool began throwing tough questions at Putin.
One of the journalists asked: 'How can the US trust your word? Will you stop killing?'
Smirking Putin then appeared to shout over the journalists before the camera was forced to cut away.
He appeared baffled as journalists quizzed him over the slaughter in Ukraine.
At one stage, he pointed to his ear to indicate he couldn't hear.
But body language expert Dr. Beth Dawson said this was actually a sign of the leader not wanting to answer the difficult question.
She told the NY Post: "He's looking down, his mouth is turned down … It doesn't look like a genuine, 'Okay, what are you saying? I can't hear you. Could you repeat it, please?'
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