On the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron visited the White House alongside Donald Trump.
The ‘powerful’ moment that French President Emmanuel Macron interrupted US President Donald Trump to correct him during a press conference has been dissected by a body language specialist.
On Monday, February 26, shortly after the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and at a time when ties between the US and Europe are still shaky, Macron joined Trump at the White House in Washington.
Macron said there was ‘strong reason’ for the leaders to’re-engage’ during the press conference, indicating support for Trump’s choice to build a relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The French leader did, however, take care to distinguish between opinion and reality, interrupting Trump once to correct him on his assertions over Europe’s backing for Ukraine.
Macron intervened to provide a fact-check when Trump claimed that Europe was “loaning the money to Ukraine” and would be “getting their money back.”
Actually, no. To tell the truth, we paid. 60% of the overall work was paid by us,” he claimed.
Body language expert Darren Stanton has now dissected that specific exchange, offering his insights into Macron’s and Trump’s emotions at the time.
“When Macron is seen interrupting Trump, he still has a lot of control in this situation and doesn’t show many signs of embarrassment,” he told UNILAD, speaking on behalf of Spin Genie.
“When Macron interrupted him, Trump gave him a chance to respond. Before making a steeple motion, Trump first held his hands together, suggesting that he was giving him the benefit of the doubt—he wanted to give Macron his time. Anyone who makes this gesture feels like the most powerful person in the room, making it a power move.
Stanton said he thought Trump was trying to “prove he had control” with this small move.
“Trump also made a gesture with his hand,” the analyst added. After correcting him, Macron went ahead and placed his hand on Trump. Trump then extended his hand to shake it, which actually indicated “yeah, whatever.” He was also observed gazing into the audience, grinning, and nodding in agreement. During this interaction, Macron was not in control. Although we expected Trump to be polite, it’s evident from his body language that he disagreed with Macron.
When Macron interrupted Trump, he clarified that European countries, like the US, contributed “real money” in the form of “loans, guarantees, and grants.”
Then, Trump said to reporters, “I don’t mind if you think that.”