Since Trump was elected president of the United States, he and Tesla founder Musk have been almost inseparable. Musk not only accompanied Trump for family dinners at his home in Florida, but also traveled with him to Washington to meet with congressional Republicans and watched a UFC fight in New York.
However, British media reported that at the recent SpaceX rocket launch event, Trump and Musk's "close relationship" was a little awkward. According to body language expert Darren Stanton, when watching the Starship test flight in Texas, Trump looked "out of place" and seemed to be suppressed by Musk's aura.
Trump is like a "fish out of water", while Musk is confident and strong
Trump has long presented himself as a "strong man". During his first presidency, when shaking hands with leaders of various countries, he often pulled them hard to show his dominance. However, during the Starship test flight on Tuesday, Trump's traditional "power gesture" seemed to have completely disappeared.
Picture from video screenshot
Body language experts observed him buttoning his coat and repeatedly checking his pockets as he waited on an observation deck not far from the SpaceX launch platform. Stanton explained that these movements indicated that he was "a little uneasy."
"It's rare to see Trump perform such a self-soothing gesture. He's fiddling with his pockets, but he's not putting his hands in them... This reflects an anxious feeling of 'not knowing where to put your hands.'"
Stanton said the president-elect looked like a "fish out of water." During the event, Trump did not use his common "accordion hand gesture," or the "spire" gesture of touching the fingertips of his hands together. These gestures are usually used to show authority. Stanton believes that the only other person Trump has ever shown a submissive attitude to is probably Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In contrast, Musk showed great confidence when speaking. His palms were outstretched and his arms were spread out, showing an open and confident posture. Trump stood aside with his hands hanging limply at his sides, like "a dummy in a shop."
On the rocket launch viewing platform, Trump's former ambassador to Japan, Bill Hagerty, also attended. However, he was clearly more attracted to Musk and had a lively conversation with the Tesla founder, while Trump stood awkwardly on the sidelines, trying to insert himself into the conversation but failed. Stanton believes that Musk and Hagerty's body language showed a natural interaction, while Trump was "completely out of the conversation."
“If there was a rapport between the three, they would naturally form a triangle,” Stanton explained. “But Trump obviously just stood there facing forward and had no idea how to intervene.”
During the group photo session, Musk even stood in front of Trump and posed with his hands on his hips in a strong pose. Body language experts said that this action undoubtedly strengthened his dominance in the public eye, while Trump continued to remain cramped and uncomfortable.
Subtle power struggle: Musk plays the role of "quasi-co-president"
Musk voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election and Joe Biden in 2020. But in June of this year, he publicly supported Trump and invested about $200 million in his re-election campaign. However, Tuesday's interaction may indicate that Musk is not completely submissive to Trump's leadership.
Musk reportedly had a heated argument with Trump team legal adviser Boris Epshteyn at a dinner at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, in which Musk allegedly accused the other of nominating unqualified candidates for government positions. People familiar with the matter described the conflict as a "serious blowup."
In addition, there are rumors that there may be a conflict between Musk and members of Trump's team who take a harder line on immigration policy. A person familiar with the matter told NBC News:
"Musk is acting like a quasi-co-president, trying to take a lot of credit for the president's victory. He wants Trump to feel like he owes him a favor. But Trump never owes anyone a favor."
Disagreement over personnel appointments reveals cracks
Although Musk appeared to be influential in some matters, he did not always get what he wanted. For example, he publicly urged Trump to appoint Howard Lutnick, the former head of Cantor Fitzgerald financial services company, as Treasury Secretary. However, Trump ultimately chose to appoint Lutnick as Commerce Secretary and instead considered other candidates for the Treasury Secretary position. This move was seen as the first obvious rift in the relationship between the two.
Although Trump's transition team claimed that Trump and Musk were "great friends and outstanding leaders," the personnel appointment issue showed potential differences in their cooperation.
As Trump's new presidential term begins, his relationship with Musk may see more subtle or even open games in the future.
Article forwarded from: Jinshi Data