The way President Trump and Xi Jinping’s footing was positioned during their sitdown at the Chinese Communist Party’s leadership compound Friday was a big “tell” regarding the overall success of the historic two-day summit, according to a body language expert.
“It’s in the toes — how the toes are pointed, how the feet are pointed, and both of their toes were pointed towards one another as they were seated. And that’s a very big thing,” Lillian Glass, a Florida-based body language expert who has served as an expert witness in federal and state courts on behavioral analysis, told The Post.
On Friday, Xi showed Trump his official residence, Zhongnanhai, where the two strongmen walked through a pristine garden before sitting inside an ornate pavilion for talks over tea.
Glass said the way the leaders’ toes were fixed toward each other signifies there’s a “connection.”
The toes “are very much a tell,” she said, adding that if the leaders’ feet were pointing away, it would symbolize tension.
“If you look at it logically, like let’s say you don’t like somebody, your instinct is to leave the room and to look for the exit, so your feet usually are pointed there … but this was not the case. It’s all in the feet,” Glass said.
Trump gushed over Xi’s hospitality and described the state visit as incredible.“I think a lot of, a lot of good has come of it,” Trump told Xi at the garden.
“He’s a man I respect greatly. Become really a friend,” Trump said as he hailed his host.
“We’ve known each other now 11 years, almost 12 years. That’s a long time, and we’ve settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to settle, and the relationship is a very strong one. We’ve really done some wonderful things.”
Glass noted how Trump and Xi felt comfortable in each other’s company and they were “much more relaxed than on the first day.”
“There was a lot more stiffness, a lot more tension; they didn’t know what to expect from one another,” she said, speaking of day one.
“I think spending days together and really having a great interaction made a difference. It’s like two old buddies … [or a fit] like a comfortable shoe, so to speak.”
Glass said Xi “had a lot of protocol to attend to” on the first day, where he showed off troops and Chinese dignitaries met their American counterparts – compared to their tour of Zhongnanhai.
“They could basically let their shoulders down here, which they did,” she said.
“Trump is really relaxed, his shoulders are relaxed. Xi’s leaning forward and that’s now how we have seen him before. His shoulders are relaxed like Trump’s – that’s kind of unique.
“We really have seen Xi very stiff and very straight [before]. This is a big thing when you see shoulders relaxed like that, that’s huge.”
Xi gave Trump a tour through a passageway with green columns and archways painted with birds and traditional Chinese mountain scenes.
“These roses are the most beautiful I’ve ever seen,” Trump reportedly told Xi, according to Chinese outlet the Chosun Daily.
Xi previously met former President Barack Obama at Zhongnanhai in November 2014, and hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2024.
George W. Bush was invited to the residence in 2002 by then-President Jiang Zemin.
Trump and Xi enjoyed a lavish spread of kung pao chicken and scallops – while those outside the fancy event were served up bags of McDonald’s, the commander in chief’s trusty standby. Trump has since departed China.
Trump and Xi spoke about the relatively thorny issue of the Iran war on Thursday, as well as economic cooperation and cracking down on Chinese export of fentanyl precursors to North America.
The White House said Trump and Xi agreed the Strait of Hormuz must remain open and free from any militarization.
“President Xi also made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use, and he expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Strait in the future,” the White House official added.
“Both countries agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”
There was no mention of Taiwan on the White House readout – and Trump was uncharacteristically silent when reporters peppered him with questions about the province while standing outside the 15th-century Temple of Heaven.
“President Xi stressed to President Trump that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning wrote on X.
If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy.”
Mao included a quote Xi told Trump, “Safeguarding peace and stability across the Taiwan strait is the biggest common denominator between China and the US.”
