Trump ‘allows Putin to take the dominant position’ in first handshake in Alaska

US President Donald Trump let his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin ‘take the dominant position’ in a handshake initiating their summit on Ukraine, a body language expert said. Trump stood on a red carpet on a tarmac in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday with his right palm up and extended as Putin walked up to him still two arm lengths away. With that greeting gesture, Trump signaled he was unarmed and putting himself in a friendship stance, body language expert Susan Constantine told Metro.

‘I am putting my palm up allowing you to take the dominant position,’ Constantine explained.

‘But then what Trump does is he pulls (Putin) toward him, so now he’s in his playing field.’

She noted that ‘Putin stays in his same position, in his solid ground, so he doesn’t lean in and holds his position’.

Though Trump allowed Putin to place his hand on top in the handshake, it does not mean he was ceding control, said Constantine.

‘When he is allowing Putin to come in and take top position, it’s different than submission,’ she said.

‘That is not because I am putting myself in a passive position that I’m doing that, it is because I want you to feel unarmed.’

‘They were two powers of equal strength.’

Constantine, who is certified in the Facial Action Coding System, also pointed out that Trump smiled and had his head tilted in welcoming the Russian president.

‘It was a kindness gesture. Then he went in with the friendship grip on the forearm and above the elbow,’ she said.

‘President Trump loves to have that connection, so all of those gestures are connection before he makes a deal.’

The initial contact between the leaders ‘looked very favorable’.

‘They were excited about. meeting each other, strong friendship and likability, so we’re off to a good start,’ she said.

‘Lots of genuine smiles, eyes are bright.’

The two leaders looked to have a good rapport and were not trying to overshadow each other, Constantine said.

‘I wouldn’t say that one was dominate more than the other, really,’ she said.