In conjunction with their private meeting yesterday at the G20 Summit, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump made some brief statements to the Press - and shook hands on-camera for the second and third time.
There are many ingredients to a good handshake and most people consistently get the majority of these nonverbals components wrong.
On each of these two occasions in this press statement, Donald Trump offered his hand up first - and he did so in a palm-up fashion. This is very common for President Trump (he's done it with many other heads-of-state) - but initiating a handshake with a palm-up configuration - particularly when that person is the initiator - is subordinate behavior. That indeed is one advantage of offering one's hand first - for you get choreograph it. You get to lead the dance (or you can choose to be led).
Donald Trump believes this dynamic makes him look friendly, but he's sorely mistaken - it makes him acquiescing and weak.
Now, if your boss shakes your hand with his hand palm-down - recognized this action for the context in which it's presented. His behavior would tell you that you need to feed your boss' ego. By all means - feed it. Reciprocate with your palm faced upward. But such is not the case between heads-of-states. It's a beta behavior and should NEVER be used by a president, a prime minister, or any leader - especially on the World stage.
Another important component of this interaction is the manner in which each man is sitting. Both men use the "Seated Crotch Display" as their default setting. This is often colloquially referred to as "Manspreading".
Trump's hands are also in a modified low steeple - which for him, again is his normal pose.
But now look at each man's arms. Putin's upper arms and elbows are held far away from his torso - while Trump's arms are very close to his body. This difference is striking. Putin is projecting an alpha and assertive emotional tone, while Trump is being beta and diminutive.
Summary: The body language used by Donald Trump in this interaction is significantly beta to Vladimir Putin's alpha. Although his spoken language suggests parody, President Trump's body language is screaming acquiescence.
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See also:
Body Language Analysis No. 3992: Angela Merkel's Eye Roll for Vladimir Putin's Mansplaining
Body Language Analysis No. 3990: Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, The G20, and Default Expressions
Body Language Analysis 3988: Kim Jong-un, ICBMs, False Joy, and Fake Laughter
Body Language Analysis No. 3986: Anthony Kennedy, The Supreme Court, and Predicting Empathy
Body Language Analysis No. 3983: Female Kurdish sniper fighting IS narrowly cheats death
Body Language Analysis No. 3965: Manspreading, Madrid, and a Business Faux Pas
Body Language Analysis No. 3944: Dwayne Johnson, The 2020 Presidential Election, and The Rock Dialing Up His Alpha
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3921: Kim Jong-un, North Korea, Alpha Status, and Clapping
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3861: Emma Stone, The Oscars and Sincerity
Nonverbal Communication Analysis No. 3642: Does Donald Trump Know Vladimir Putin?
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