Were there smiles?
How long and warm were the handshakes? How was the body language? How did Trump’s voice sound?
What White House door did the Israeli Prime Minister use to go in and see the President?
On – and on and on – went these and other questions from the American media as Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu arrived at the White House for his latest meeting with President Trump.
There are multiple examples of this kind of media scrutiny of the President and the Trump White House, where minor details are over-interpreted and become major obsessions, as the two leaders met.
Samples:
Newsmax:
Former Envoy Sees Rift Between Trump, Netanyahu
With bold print for emphasis supplied, this story reported:
“A former Israeli ambassador to the United States said Thursday that Israel’s influence on U.S. policymaking has “diminished greatly” and that the relationship between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump has grown less intimate.Michael Herzog, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. for most of the Biden administration, told an Israeli radio station that his opinion is based on the optics of Netanyahu’s roughly 90-minute meeting with Trump on Tuesday at the White House.The meeting was held behind closed doors. There was no news conference afterward. Netanyahu reportedly entered the White House through a side entrance that was only partially visible to reporters. He left without fanfare.”
Then there was this from Fox:
Fox News Crew Notes Trump Was ‘Irked’ by Netanyahu Ahead of Oval Office Sit-Down
The story reported this on Trump’s tone of voice from the Fox reporter:
(Lucas) Tomlinson noted afterwards Trump “sounded a little irked there with the Israeli prime minister talking about this intelligence, talking to the press, and not dealing with him directly.”
Meanwhile The Times of Israel headlined:
Why Netanyahu got the side-door treatment at the White House
Then there was also this from The Times on the optics:
Wary of perception that Israel driving war, Trump and Netanyahu opt to avoid optics altogether President keeps press out of meeting amid concern that a widely covered sit-down, as he mulls renewing Iran offensive, would bolster belief that PM wields outsized influence over US
On and on go similar headlines and “news” stories. The purpose is always the same: To use media scrutiny of body language to interpret the substance of serious policy meetings between the American President and the Israeli Prime Minister.
Can body language sometimes be a tell on substance? For sure.
Read Full Article: https://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/jeffrey-lord/2026/08/01/bibi-and-trump-news-outlets-over-interpret-minor-details
