Body language expert unveils who commands 'leadership' between Trump and Musk after Oval Office presser
WASHINGTON, DC: It may have looked like Donald Trump was letting Elon Musk bask in the spotlight during their highly anticipated Oval Office sit-down on Tuesday, February 11, but a body language expert says the former president was still the one calling the shots.
The two men fielded questions from the press for a solid 30 minutes. Trump sat firmly behind the iconic Resolute Desk, while Musk stood beside him with little X perched on his shoulders. But according to expert Judi James, the setup wasn’t just casual - it was telling.
Elon Musk’s 'unusual' spot & Trump's 'rebrand'
"Musk is standing in a very unusual spot in what is essentially a throne room," James dished to the Daily Mail. And while standing might seem like a position of dominance, she pointed out a subtle detail that shifts the power balance back to Trump.
"The fact that he is standing while Trump sits gives him the status advantage of height, but the only people standing behind or to the side of the throne like this are traditionally security or waiters," she explained. James also found Trump’s introduction of Musk to be "significant in terms of who is the leader of who."
"His ‘I'll ask Elon… Musk to say a few words’ puts him in the role of enabler and seems to imply a time limit," she observed. Trump was showing he was still in charge here, and Musk was on borrowed time.
Since kicking off his second term, James has noticed a major "rebrand" in Trump’s overall presence. Gone are the days of playful showmanship - because the latest version of Trump is all business.
"There’s not one sliver of any desire to showboat or joke," she said, even at fun events like the Super Bowl. "He is now presenting as an intensely serious world leader, stuffed full of gravitas, who no one should want to mess with."
If anyone thought Trump would go soft at the sight of a toddler in the Oval Office, that wasn't the case. As Musk spoke, little X babbled away - clearly trying to get Trump’s attention.
"The boy and Trump stare at one another warily at one point but as the child moves across to chat, Trump quickly looks away, which is an enchantingly random transaction," James noted.
Elon Musk and Donlald Trump's clashing styles
Another huge contrast was their overall demeanor. "Musk takes over the baton verbally with a ‘So…’ and proceeds to illustrate the enormous contrast in corporate cultural styles," James pointed out.
"Trump's is traditional power-posturing, with formal business wear and a huge desk," she said. Meanwhile, Musk has a baseball cap on with his son running free like he’s at a Silicon Valley daycare.
James even drew a comparison to Trump’s own son, Barron, who was never seen crawling around the Oval Office during Trump’s first term. "The only ‘children’ to enter it are on the payroll as adults," she quipped.
On the other hand, Musk is "clad in a baseball cap and his young son has been brought into the Oval Office like those children of indulgent parents who allow their kids free rein to run and play when they visit your home."
"The only collusive-looking way that this scenario works is if Elon has asked Trump if his son can be present and Trump had gone into grandpa mode, indulging the child as his father is," James continued. "But that isn't happening here."
X becomes a "distraction" instead and "he makes Trump a huge distraction too, because people are waiting for him to react."
"At one point the child is mirroring and mimicking his dad's body language and then he is up on Musk's shoulders, pulling his hat off and rumpling his hair," James explained, adding, "This might be the norm in Silicon Valley but it's a novel first for Trump's White House."
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