When Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met for a welcome ceremony in Tiananmen Square this week, they mirrored one another in strikingly similar suits. Both were blue, single-breasted with flap pockets, two buttons with only the top one done up, and both wore red ties. Surrounded by aides in varied attire, their symmetry was visually striking.
Psychological Impact of Matching Attire
Both leaders were hoping to secure geopolitical gains and trade deals. Enda Young, founder of the Centre for Negotiation and Leadership and a negotiation lecturer at Oxford University, says matching suits may have helped. 'There’s good evidence from social psychology that people tend to warm more quickly to those who seem similar to them,' he explains. 'That can be behaviour, language, posture or even appearance and dress.'
In negotiation, mirroring often works at a subconscious level. Similar suits, colours or body language can signal alignment, shared status or mutual respect before anyone speaks. Young points to research on the 'chameleon effect', which shows that subtle mimicry tends to increase rapport and cooperation. He also cites Robert Cialdini's principle of 'liking', where similarity tends to increase trust and openness to influence.
Historical Precedents
Political leaders have mirrored each other before. In 2024, France's Emmanuel Macron and Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wore matching outfits during three days in the Amazon rainforest, viewed as a 'bromance'. Conversely, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was admonished for wearing a military-style black sweatshirt to the Oval Office, but later made a diplomatic concession by wearing a military-style suit.
Twinning can also go wrong, as when Liz Truss delivered her first speech as prime minister wearing a dress identical to that of a fictional dictator. For mirroring, the important caveat is that it only works when it feels natural. If it looks staged or too deliberate, people tend to react against it.
Natural Fit for Both Leaders
Importantly, the look was not a departure for either president. Trump's style rarely strays from his standard suit, while Xi's wardrobe includes a low-key windbreaker and the traditional Mao suit, which he wore last year during a military parade. After initial talks, Xi said, 'Our two countries should be partners rather than rivals.' By day two, Trump called Xi a 'true friend', but they were no longer mirroring: Xi remained styled the same, while Trump's jacket lay open with a striped blue tie.
