Images captured during a closely watched White House visit on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, have led one body language expert to offer her take on what may have been happening beneath the surface as President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and, separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The back-to-back meetings came at a sensitive moment for the White House, with Trump balancing the war in Iran, broader Middle East tensions and ongoing efforts to bolster Ukraine’s defenses against Russia.
Trump welcomed Netanyahu to the White House on Tuesday, with Vice President JD Vance also taking part in the visit.
After examining the photos, Florida-based analyst Lillian Glass told the New York Post that Vance appeared more isolated than the two leaders standing beside him.
In her view, the separation was visible not only in where he stood, but also in the expression on his face.
“There is a gap in physical distance with Vance.
“Vance seems to be outside of the group, and his smile is tense as you can see the tenseness in his lower jaw,” she said.
Vance’s appearance at the Netanyahu meeting followed an earlier White House session that day with Zelenskyy, whom Trump met separately before the Israeli leader arrived.
According to reports from Washington, the Zelenskyy meeting was one of several high-level engagements that day and came ahead of a memorial service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, where both Netanyahu and Zelenskyy were also expected to be in attendance.
Glass also focused on Vance’s hands, saying they suggested strain rather than ease, especially when compared with Trump’s posture.
“He does not appear to be that comfortable, as you can see his fingers are more curved on the left side, indicating tension and discomfort,” she said. “This is in stark contrast to Trump, whose hands and fingers are very relaxed.”
Her comments arrive as Vance has become increasingly vocal on matters involving the Middle East.
He has previously criticized members of Netanyahu’s cabinet after they objected publicly to a memorandum of understanding tied to Iran, and reports have suggested he has also raised concerns privately about some of Netanyahu’s positions.
During a White House briefing, Vance defended that approach in direct terms.
‘If I was in the Cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.’
Trump and Netanyahu have not always appeared fully in step either.
Before Tuesday’s meeting, Trump had publicly expressed frustration over leaked claims that Netanyahu planned to brief him on Iranian nuclear activity linked to Pickaxe Mountain.
Even so, Glass said the interaction shown in the photos between Trump and Netanyahu appeared sincere and relaxed. She also referenced another image showing Trump reading from a card, which she interpreted as another sign that he felt at ease.
“Trump is completely relaxed facially and body language-wise as he reads the card. His leg is pointed in the direction of Netanyahu, which means he genuinely likes Bibi and feels very comfortable in his presence,” she said.
Looking at earlier photos from the Zelenskyy meeting, Glass said she saw a similarly warm dynamic between Trump and the Ukrainian president, pointing in particular to the fact that their elbows were touching.
“Trump is genuinely happy as he has a genuine smile and leans his head towards Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy does the same, leans his head towards Trump,” she said.
“They are in physical contact, which means they genuinely like one another and are happy to be around one another.”
Glass did not see the same level of comfort from everyone present. She described one separate image of Zelenskyy as showing him looking ‘cautious and contained,’ while Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared ‘guarded’ in that same batch of photos.
The day’s meetings reflected the Trump administration’s broader foreign-policy balancing act, with Washington under pressure to manage the Iran conflict while also keeping support flowing to Ukraine as the war with Russia continues.