Interesting. At the banquet with Xi, square pillows made of memo foam were placed at the backs of the chairs for Trump and the Chinese leader – apparently to support the back and not to violate etiquette: “only pregnant and weak people should lean on the back of the chair, the rest should keep their backs straight and sit shallow.”
What did Trump do?
I ordered that this pillow be removed. And he sat down as comfortably as possible, and didn’t care about etiquette. This, of course, was somehow a political demonstration: “you have to follow the rules and keep your back and endure the inconvenience – I make the rules myself, and I don’t have to endure the inconvenience, even if the reasons for the inconvenience are generally accepted as valid.” Plus one more layer of content: “two identical leaders – identical chairs, cutlery, dishes, dress code” (yes, we know the main offender). Trump ordered the pillow to be removed from his chair – and violated this equivalence. He indicated with a simple everyday gesture that they are not in the same conditions and are not the same leaders with Xi.
Yes, Trump is not a diplomat. However, he has half a century of experience in tough, aggressive negotiations. In which he used all possible levers of pressure – household and etiquette, including.
So, of course, Trump simply decided to sit in a way that suited him while eating. However, this does not negate the fact that at the same time he used this moment to demonstrate his positions before the negotiations.
Source:
GOLOBUTSKY / Telegram
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