What Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump’s body language reveals

The US

The US president ‘tried to take over’ by
patting the North Korean leader multiple times

One-Minute Read

Trump was “desperate to be seen to be in charge”, according to
Paul Boross, a body language expert and business pitch
specialist.

Analysing the historic handshake between the two leaders, Boross
told Sky News that the US president “tried to take
over” during their “very, very staged” first encounter.

Trump gave Kim several pats on the arm after the handshake,
which Boross described as a “control indicator”.

“Trump tries to take over and he is doing as many pats as he
can, which is very interesting because actually it doesn’t
necessarily show the man who’s in charge,” he explained. “What
it actually shows is the man who’s desperate to be seen to be in
charge.”

Boross said Kim, who appeared to be wearing “lifts” in his
shoes to make him seem taller, actually shows more control by
staying very still and not reacting to all the touching.

Karen Leong, managing director of Singapore-headquartered
Influence Solutions, agreed that both leaders were trying to take
charge. However, she noted that both found it difficult to conceal
their nervousness once they were sitting down.

Trump displayed a slanted smile and fidgeted with his hands,
while Kim was leaning and staring at the ground, she told
Australian news site news.com.au

Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Australian body
language expert Allan Pease warned that cultural differences also
needed to be taken into account when analysing the exchange. For
example, there seemed to be an awkward moment when Trump stared at
Kim and the North Korean leader looked away.

But Pease says in Korean culture it is polite not to make full
eye contact with someone who is older – and Trump is twice Kim’s
age.