After Elon Musk‘s surprise public break from President Donald Trump this week, everyone in Washington is desperately trying to determine the status of their once thriving bromance.
Perhaps now we have a clue.
A body language expert has exclusively analyzed Friday’s White House meeting featuring the president and his previously close DOGE adviser and told Daily Mail that it revealed that their passions for one another have notably cooled.
The two men sparred with reporters and posed for the cameras in the Oval Office for more than an hour on Friday, just two days after Musk criticized a Trump-backed spending bill that was recently approved by the House.
‘I was, like, disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decrease it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,’ Musk told CBS in an interview that will air in full this Sunday.
Indeed, some analysts forecast that the bill will add between $3 and 5 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade.
Body language expert Judi James noted that Trump appeared crouched behind the Resolute Desk ‘in full alpha mode,’ while Musk was left ‘standing to the president’s right for nearly a full hour.’
According to James, the arrangement – while a common one for Trump’s Oval Office visitors – had the effect of making Musk look like a ‘schoolboy called to the head’s office for fighting in the playground.’
The two men spared with reporters and posed for the cameras in the Oval Office for more than an hour on Friday, just two days after Musk criticized a Trump-backed spending bill that was recently approved by the House.
A body language expert has exclusively analyzed Friday’s White House meeting featuring the president and his previously close DOGE adviser and told Daily Mail that it revealed that their passions for one another have notably cooled.
However, says James, Musk’s demeanor suggested he wasn’t comfortable in that role.
On Wednesday, Musk also announced that his role as a special government employee for the Department of Government Efficiency has officially come to an end, suggesting that he will no longer be subjected to such a harsh media spotlight.
A feeling of sudden freedom may have been emboldening.
‘Standing with his legs and chest splayed, his arms held tight to his sides and performing the kind of neck rolls a boxer does after entering the ring, Musk looked like a man in a state of aggressive arousal,’ said James.
‘He seemed to be signaling that his personal power would undergo a rapid and emphatic re-boot now that he was no longer in Trump’s employ,’ she continued.
Musk also appeared to be under great strain, James added. At one point, Musk pulled off his baseball cap to wipe his hand over his forehead and then his mouth, in what James said was ‘a very emphatic gesture of inner tension.’
Hours before the meeting, the New York Times published a report alleging that Musk was taking a cocktail of drugs, including ketamine, Ecstasy, psychedelic mushrooms and Adderall, during the 2024 presidential campaign.
On Wednesday, Musk also announced that his role as a special government employee for the Department of Government Efficiency has officially come to an end, suggesting that he will no longer be subjected to such a harsh media spotlight.
Asked about the allegations by journalists in the Oval Office, Musk appeared to copy Trump’s aggressive behavior towards the media. Though, James noted, the president’s response to his flattering mimicry was dismissive, saying it, ‘only received a wry smile from the president.’
Reading from his prepared remarks, the president called Musk ‘one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced’, and praised his work finding what Trump said was ‘waste, fraud and abuse’ in the federal budget.
As he spoke, Musk became more engaged, nodding in agreement and edging closer to the president’s chair. But James also pointed out that Trump relied on a script to praise Musk, ‘which diluted any sense of emotion or coming from the heart.’
Trump then presented Musk with ceremonial gold key to the White House, which appeared to please the Tesla boss. But Trump quickly downplayed the gesture, according to James, by presenting the gift from a seated position and then informing the press that he’d given out other similar keys before.
The pair’s message was muddied further when they described Musk’s future relationship with the White House in different terms. While Trump’s was ambiguous about the billionaire’s role, Musk was more specific.
Trump quickly downplayed the gesture, according to James, by presenting the gift from a seated position and then informing the press that he’d given out other similar keys before.
‘Musk repeated the phrase ‘I will be a friend and advisor to the president’ several times,’ said James, ‘but Trump’s response looked non-committal, keeping his eyes down and holding a poker face expression.
‘Musk repeated three times the ‘friend and advisor’ line, and each time there was a relatively deadpan response from Trump.’
James said the end of the meeting underlined how distant the pair has become.
‘As the press filed out, Musk turned away from Trump and rolled his neck again as though shrugging off the tension of the meeting,’ she said.
‘When he turned back to face Trump, the two men exchanged one sharp nod. But there was no hugging or displays of post-meeting fondness to suggest their bromance remains intact.’
