Carney defiant, Zelenskyy weak; what Trump’s body language tells us about his stance on Canada and Ukraine

Two meetings, two leaders, and one president whose body language said more than his policies ever could. When Donald Trump sat with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February, the room in the White House became a stage for conflict as the world watched the US President lean forward and seemed to treat the Ukrainian leader less as an ally than an adversary.

Observers described it as “an unprecedented public confrontation” as Trump openly berated Zelenskyy over the Ukraine-Russia war.

On the other hand, Trump's meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday (May 6) was less volatile even though the two countries have witnessed their close ties fray in the last few months.


Body language experts and analysts noted the difference the moment Trump reached for Carney’s hand. There was no aggression and destabilizing yank. According to body language expert Mark Bowden, this alone indicated a surprising level of “respect” for Carney and a calculated restraint.

But it was restrained without any warmth as Trump dominated the conversation, speaking for more than 95 per cent of the time of the meeting. Carney was often seen raising a finger to interject. According to Bowden, this is an unconscious habit that works when one holds authority, but in Trump’s White House, it barely made a dent.

When Trump casually floated the idea of Canada becoming the 51st US state, Carney held his ground with poise and calmly replied, “There are some places that are never for sale.”

He made his point without a scowl or flinch, channeling a calm that contrasted sharply with the chaos of Zelenskyy’s experience.

What happened during the Trump-Zelenskyy meet

In the meeting with Zelensky on February 28, Trump and Vice President JD Vance openly confronted Zelenskyy, their raised voices overshadowing the Ukrainian president’s measured appeals for continued US aid and credible security guarantees, and their body language expressed confrontation rather than collaboration.

It becomes important to know that Ukraine is a country at war, deeply dependent on American aid.

Canada, while not without economic vulnerabilities, is a G7 partner with significant leverage. Trump knows this, and his body knows it, too.

In Donald Trump's White House, it’s often the things unsaid that tell the real story. In Zelenskyy, he saw vulnerability and need. In Carney, he met resistance.