When UK PM Keir Starmer met US President Donald Trump at the White House for high-stakes talks on bilateral relations, the contrast between the two leaders was evident before they even spoke a word. From handshakes to subtle gestures, body language experts say the meeting revealed much about their personalities and power dynamics, reports the Mirror.
Trump was described as “totally relaxed” and “grounded” by body language expert Caroline Goyder who dominated the encounter. “Trump is the silverback, totally at ease, on his home turf. The difference couldn’t be starker,” Goyder told ITV. “Whatever you think about Donald Trump, he is Mr Charisma with Mr Logic… Mr Legal. And so it’s amazing, It’s like Mars and Venus.”
By contrast, Goyder observed that Starmer looked like a “boy in his new school uniform” when arriving at the White House. The British PM appeared stiff and slightly uneasy, even pulling at his sleeves as if adjusting to the moment. During their conversation in the Oval Office, Starmer was seen touching his stomach, which Goyder interpreted as a “self-soothing” gesture.
Trump’s ‘bottomless buffet of lowering techniques’
Trump, who has long used physical gestures to assert dominance over world leaders, wasted no time in setting the tone. At one point, he appeared to mock Starmer by asking if the UK could take on Russia “on your own?” The British PM, however, pushed back when Trump claimed European nations would be reimbursed for their Ukraine war contributions while the US would not. Starmer pointed out: “We’re not getting all of ours. Quite a bit of ours was gifted, it was given, there were some loans, but mainly it was gifted, actually.”
According to body language expert Judi James, Trump’s tactics were predictable. Speaking to The Mirror, she described his handshakes as “a bottomless buffet of lowering techniques,” often designed to leave opponents off-balance.
“His shake and yank is the most lethal ritual, as he will grab the hand then suddenly and quite violently yank it toward or away from him, leaving the other person de-stabilised and fighting to keep their balance,” James explained. “He will also power-pat to register superiority.”
Trump’s history with world leaders is filled with such moments. When he met Theresa May, he held her hand in a way that made it appear overly familiar. With Boris Johnson, he made him descend a staircase as if he were a debutante at a ball. French President Emmanuel Macron once crushed Trump’s hand so hard that the imprint lingered on his skin. When they met again earlier this week, Macron playfully pushed Trump’s hand away when the US leader placed it on his knee—only for Trump to slap it back down in a show of defiance. “Trump will, of course, play dirty if pushed,” James noted.
‘Worst-case scenario for Starmer’
James believes Starmer had planned to project an air of authority during the meeting, but his naturally measured style may have worked against him. “Starmer will almost certainly be wanting to stamp some sense of his own alpha leadership power on their body language rituals too,” she said. However, his approach contrasts with Trump’s aggressive style.
James suggested Starmer take cues from the Royal Family, who project confidence without direct confrontation. “Prince Philip always turned on some upper-class charm but with an asymmetric smile and an eye twinkle that suggested he was chuckling inside. Prince William tends to use a more bashful charm but makes his status look like a given. The royals would never enter any hand-wrestling contests because they always keep their dignity and therefore their status.”
While Starmer aimed to establish himself as a strong leader on the world stage, James warned that Trump’s ultimate power move could be simply appearing disinterested. “Trump only puts in body language effort when he feels an opponent is worth it,” she said.
“If he just adopts a polite lip-clamped smile, sits slumped with his hands between his knees, tapping his fingertips together in a gesture of impatience and trots out some cliché about Starmer being ‘someone I can do business with’, it could be the worst of all the options.”
The meeting was seen as a test of Starmer’s diplomacy, with Ukraine high on the agenda. The Prime Minister urged Trump to back a security guarantee for Ukraine, warning that without US support, Vladimir Putin could strike again. However, in the battle of body language, experts say it was clear who had the upper hand. “Trump is all about charisma,” said Goyder. “Starmer needs to meet him on that level if he wants to hold his own.”
