UK Prime Minister Teresa May visited The White House to meet Donald Trump, being the first foreign dignitary to meet him after he took office.
At one particular moment they are seen to hold hands, but what does that small action really say? It is not easy to interpret initially as some of the press have only published a still photo of just their hands. This is another example of editorial manipulation by the press of what actually happened.
What the photo possibly indicates is that Donald Trump may have the upper hand. However if you look closely, even from the still photo, you see him gently having his hand over hers, and she willingly accepting it. It is not a struggle of power. It shows gentlemanly conduct towards a strong independent female who accepts the gesture for just what it is; support. She’s not submitting her feminism or her power in doing so, she’s merely accepting his hand.
Then if you take a look at the actual video footage of the entire incident you will see they were walking together from one area of The White House to the other. This walk was conducted outside, down either steps or a slope on a cold, frosty January day in Washington and as such you can clearly see that Teresa was not confident of her footing due to the conditions. Now Teresa May was wearing heels and Donald Trump offered her a protective hand to assist her down the steps or slope. Like any classy woman, she eloquently accepted.
This was a strong indication that there was rapport, respect, trust and even fondness between these two leaders. With just this short gesture, there was a release of the hormone oxytocin indicating that this could be a strong long-term relationship.
Trump’s chivalrous, natural alpha male act towards a lady seems to contradict the misogynistic comments he has made in the past. What we witnessed yesterday was dignified behaviour towards a woman who was clearly his equal in many respects and was willing to be the first to respect him with a formal visit. Now many might want to discuss the political moves behind the visit, but that is not the purpose of this post. This post is purely dealing with the impact of his behaviour as that is what seems to have caused such outrage in the past.
One last point on the meeting, what Teresa May wore was extremely well thought out. The colour red is one of power and thus subconsciously would have given her additional confidence to what she already has. Remember she would have been entering his house, in his country, as his guest when many other world leaders are sitting on the fence. While the red suit was a great choice, there was one vital mistake; the black belt at her waist broke the eye line and thus prevented her from appearing taller. With Trump measuring in at 6’2” and May at 5’7”, having the illusion of height also helps to balance the situation.
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