DrJackBrown 🌊 Profile picture
Jun 30, 2018 14 tweets 5 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
THREAD: Body Language Analysis No. 4314: Donald Trump, The Supreme Court, Abortion, and Punishment - #Nonverbal & #EmotionalIntelligence#BodyLanguage #BodyLanguageExpert #AbortionRights #Abortion #Punishment #SupremeCourt #RoevWade
1/ In the light of Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy's announcement of his retirement from the Supreme Court, the interview included here is profoundly important. In March 2016, Chris Matthews spoke with then-candidate Trump in a town hall type setting.
2/ One of the questions Mr. Matthews pressed Mr. Trump on was that of abortion - and specifically, because Trump believes abortions should be illegal - what was his view on the issue of punishment for women who undergo abortions?
3/ In this image (captured from the above video during 2:16) - when Mr. Trump was attempting to formulate his response to Chris Matthews' question of, "... Do you believe in punishment for abortion - yes or no - as a principle?".
4/ Donald Trump commonly displays several nonverbal signals which are distinctly beta (and feminine). One of these in exampled here.
5/ This display is much more commonly seen with women and gay men - but when it's displayed by a straight man, it projects a low-confidence/unsure/beta emotional tone.
6/ Note the position of Trump's right wrist. It's extended (bent backward) close to its maximum. When a straight man displays this body language, it sends signals of low confidence.
7/ Moreover, when coupled with an upper arm that's positioned very closely to the torso (as we also see Trump doing), this nonverbal behavior cluster transmits even deeper beta and unsure emotions.
8/ Notice also, Trump's eyes are looking up - fixated in the distance (middle-distance). This is a common direction of gaze and focus behavior associated with the formulation of an answer.
9/ Then, just a couple seconds later (2:18 - 2:20), once Trump makes up his mind ("... there has to be some form of punishment - Yeah. There has to be some form."), he first positions his hand in a vertically straight, ready-to-chop fashion, and then ...
10/ ...proceeds to quickly chop his hand in a very assertive (even hyper-assertive), decisive, alpha manner. Trump commonly uses this gesture - however, it's not typically temporally juxtaposed with a hyper-beta display as does here.
11/ SUMMARY: Donald Trump had not thought through this question prior to Chris Matthews asking it. The candidate's nonverbal behavior displayed here - a low confidence signal followed rapidly by a high-confidence signal - ...
12/ ...is a window into the unsure mind of a person formulating his decision in that moment. We are seeing cognitive dissonance followed by a decision and absolutism. Upon deciding, Mr. Trump rapidly emotionally morphs into the bravado of hyper-confidence.

....
13/ Moreover, in this particular context, his hand-chop also projects the additional visual metaphor of severe punishment for abortion.

END

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More from @DrGJackBrown

Aug 17, 2020
1/ THREAD: Body Language Analysis No. 4450: Trump delivers remarks in Oshkosh, WI — a Red Flag Body Language expression — Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence #BodyLanguage #BodyLanguageExpert #EmotionalIntelligence #DonaldTrump #Sociopath #Psychopath
2/ Donald Trump delivered a campaign speech earlier today in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He repeatedly made the expression show in this accompanying still image. Note his central forehead is contracted and elevated while simultaneously displaying a (feigned) mouth smile.
3/ We all make an expression similar to this one *once-in-a-while* when we're feeling:

• Smug Incredulity
• Arrogance
• Contempt

(although all of these thought-emotions have other facial expressions with which they're associated)
Read 5 tweets
Oct 7, 2018
THREAD: Body Language Analysis No. 4350: Ashley Kavanaugh during Brett Kavanaugh's Swearing-in Ceremonies for the Supreme Court - #Nonverbal #EmotionalIntelligence #AshleyKavanaugh #BrettKavanuagh #SwearingIn #BodyLanguage #BodyLanguageExpert #LowConfidence #Beta #GetMeOutOfHere
1/ Yesterday, after the closest Senate vote in 137 years, Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed as an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court. Ashley Kavanaugh's body language during her husband's swearing-in ceremony is worthy of scrutiny.
2/ Note in the above image, as retired Justice Anthony Kennedy administers the Judicial Oath to Brett Kavanaugh, Ashley Kavanaugh is standing with her left leg crossed in front of her right leg. This nonverbal display indicates a lowered confidence level & a beta emotional tone.
Read 10 tweets
Oct 5, 2018
1/ There are many nonverbal signs indicating relative levels of confidence. During last week's hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford exhibited contrasting examples of one such signal.
2/ When a person raises their right hand to be sworn-in before testifying, if their fingers and/or thumb are spread apart - it signals low levels of confidence.
Read 9 tweets
Oct 1, 2018
1/ The following is my second analysis of a portion of Brett Kavanaugh's testimony during his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on 27 September 2018.
2/ JOHN KENNEDY (beginning at 3:45:39): "I’m — I’m sorry, judge, for what you and your family have been through. And I’m sorry - for what Dr. Ford and her family have been through. It could have been avoided [long pause] Do you believe in God?"
Read 59 tweets
Sep 28, 2018
THREAD: Body Language Analysis No. 4347: Kavanaugh Confirmation Hearings - Part I • #Nonverbal #Emotional #Intelligence #KavanaughHearings #ChristineBlaseyFord #BrettKavanaugh #BodyLanguageExpert #BodyLanguage
1/ In case you hadn't heard, on Wednesday 27 September 2018, both Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
2/ This hearing could supply a year's worth of nonverbal teaching examples and it would close to impossible to analyze the entire event in one session. Thus, what follows is the first of several analyses of this historic exchange.
Read 12 tweets
Sep 26, 2018
1/ THREAD: Trump's Press Conference • Pupil Alert • Why are Trump's Pupils So Large?

During President Trump's Press Conference today, his pupils were quite dilated - to as much as 7.0 mm.

Here are his pupils imaged at the 31:49 mark in this video:
2/ On other days in similar light conditions, they are within normal limits (e.g., 3.0 mm).

The intermittent and yet extreme nature of Trump's pupillary dilation is profound. From a medical standpoint, this is NOT normal.
3/ This intermittent pattern is NOT due to trauma, complications from surgery, or disease.
Read 9 tweets

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