Body Language Expert Tells Us Sign Gavin Newsom Won't Yield To Donald Trump's Power Grab

Gavin Newsom has already shown that Donald Trump's stale insults don't work on him, but the California governor also demonstrated an impressive ability to render the president's signature power grab ineffective. The two politicians met for the first time since Trump took office in Los Angeles on January 24, 2025, to discuss the California wildfires, and people on social media had plenty to say about the interaction. "Wow, Newsom's body language totally dominated that conversation," one user said on X, formerly Twitter.

To further analyze the moment, we exclusively spoke with body language expert and behavior analyst Traci Brown, CSP, who said Trump tried to establish his superiority over Newsom early with his well-known "yank-and-grab handshake." However, Newsom wouldn't let Trump seize power over him that easily. "We know that Trump does the 'yank and grab' handshake. That's to show that he's in control," Brown tells The List. "But Newsom jumps in the game and yanks back, letting Trump know he's not going to back down and is a force to deal with on Trump's level."

Typically, no one is safe from Trump's handshake whenever he enters the room. Even world leaders like Prince William had to entertain Trump's old trick. However, Newsom's resisting Trump's power grab may show that he's willing to stand up to the president more than most, even when it comes down to the smallest battles.

Although Gavin Newsom turned Donald Trump's 'yank-and-grab' into a tug-of-war, parts of their exchange were actually friendlier than some might expect. However, there were some moments when the pair seemed a bit too friendly. Behavior analyst Traci Brown highlighted how they exchanged a brief hug when they first came into contact, which was an unusual greeting between two men constantly at odds. 'SO they may have a closer relationship than they let on in their public fighting," Brown theorized. "What's interesting is that both of them do EXACTLY the same thing with the shoulder taps. So we know they're thinking of themselves as a team." Additionally, they sent mixed signals when they tapped each other on their upper arm. "It can be a sign of control; it can be a sign of connection," she added.

Whatever the case, Newsom and Trump may not have been on common ground for long. Trump tightened his lip during his conversation with Newsom, which Brown felt "can say silent disagreement." However, the body language expert also noted, "BUT he does this as he looks away. So it may be something that he sees behind Newsom, or it could be about what he's saying." 

Eventually, however, Newsom's body language might've indicated that he slightly deferred to the president's lead. "And then at the end of this exchange, we see Newsom go into a more submissive position with his hands folded and his eyebrows up. So he backed down a bit," Brown said. Still, Newsom's subtle display of strength to Trump spoke volumes about someone who might also plan on running for president sometime in the future.

When taking a closer look at the Trump family's height, one can tell most of them are very tall people. In fact, Donald Trump has consistently claimed he's 6 feet, 3 inches tall, which many have claimed can't be true (for example, a picture of Trump with William, Prince of Wales, suggests otherwise). His political adversary, Gavin Newsom, is also reportedly the same height, so their California meeting may have exposed more evidence that Trump isn't as tall as he claims to be. 

One person on X, formerly Twitter, speculated that Trump has resorted to wearing shoe lifts to no effect. "trump wearing lifts yet is still shorter than gavin newsom," the user wrote.  Meanwhile, Newsom's shoes appear to be flat, showing a confidence in his height that Trump apparently lacks. Therefore, the president may not have only tried to outdo Newsom in body language, but in height as well, only to end up failing a bit on both counts. If so, he can at least take comfort in the fact that Newsom is shorter than the president's son Barron Trump — though Trump himself might not like being reminded of that fact.