Body language expert claims Elon Musk ‘turned his back’ on Trump during farewell Oval Office meeting
WASHINGTON, DC: Although the cracks in Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s bromance came into the spotlight after his angry tirade against the president’s spending bill, a body language expert has claimed that signs of a possible rift were evident long before.
Body language expert Judi James revealed to the Irish Star that the Tesla CEO appeared to "turn his back" on Trump in his final Oval Office press conference before leaving the administration.
The SpaceX founder was declared a "special government employee” after Trump made him the head of Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) - a White House team tasked with cutting federal spending.
The “First Buddy” first came out in support of the Commander-in-Chief during last year’s presidential election and donated more than $288 million to the MAGA cause.
However, the duo’s bromance took a sharp turn after reports claimed that Musk was ‘butthurt’ with the White House denying to let him stay in his special role beyond the 130-day time limit.
Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s bond became 'thin on the ground'
Elon Musk declared in May that he was leaving his position as DOGE's leader after spending four turbulent months at the White House.
On May 30, a farewell event was organized at the Oval Office to mark the billionaire's departure. The president sang praises of Musk at the conference and even gifted him a golden key, housed in a brown box, which he described as a gift he reserves for “very special people.”
However, James claimed that things were not so pleasant at the event as they seemed on the surface level.
According to the body language expert, Musk and Trump’s bond that was once defined by moments of shared laughter and banter became "thin on the ground" at the news conference, “to the point of non-existence."
"There was no indication of any physical contact or nonverbal expression that would show closeness and affection," James commented.
"Eye contact was sparse, and apart from the one slap on the hand, there were no add-on rituals to suggest closeness," she explained.
The worst part, however, was when Musk turned his back on his former ally.
"When the conference was ended, Musk seemed to turn his back on Trump and perform some of his interesting 'glitching' rituals, when you'd expect the two men to relax and fall onto each other to share a joke or maybe even a farewell hug," James said.
"The pair appeared out of sync. Musk repeated more than once that he would be Trump's 'friend and adviser' going forward, but there was only a lukewarm response from Trump in terms of his body language, which did make them look out of sync," she continued.
Elon Musk tried to one-up Donald Trump
Musk even took it a step further and slammed the media, one of Trump's typical power plays. He even went so far as to draw attention away from Trump's own criticism of reporters.
"Musk’s approach to one press question seemed to mimic a technique that Trump uses, which is to dismiss the journo and their paper with some belittling comments for the paper," James said.
"Musk did this with a relish, though, showboating as he did so. It was Trump’s press conference, and dismissing the journalist with such relish in front of Trump did create an awkward-looking moment. It seems to be Trump’s 'right' to take them on, but was it really Musk’s at that moment?" she added.
The body language also pointed out the lack of praise between the former buddies. The first thing that caught James’ attention was how Trump stayed seated and gave Musk the key to the White House in a shabby way.
"In the business world and the world of politics, a leader shows respect to a guest via an 'act of inconvenience’. This is where the leader goes out of their way to register non-verbal praise and honor,” she analysed.
According to her theory, any "top boss" would be standing to give a retiring employee an award, but when Trump attempted to give Musk the commemorative key, "he remained in his seat and merely passed it up to Musk, who was standing."
"He even performed their handshake sitting down, with a brief amount of eye contact and a slap on Musk’s hand. Handshakes should always be done standing, especially if you’re thanking a close friend and global power broker who has dented their reputation by helping your country out," James said.
James also pointed out Musk’s lack of praise for his former boss. "We all know Trump loves to be praised and flattered — which made it look odd when Musk's moment came to lavish non-verbal 'strokes' on the president,” she noted.
