Thread by @DrGJackBrown

THREAD: Body Language Analysis No. 4330: Donald Trump, "No Puppet. No Puppet. You're the Puppet" • • #Nonverbal & #EmotionalIntelligence #BodyLanguage #BodyLanguageExpert #DonaldTrump #HillaryClinton #VladimirPutin #NoPuppet #YoureThePuppet #TrumpRussia

1/ The recent Summit in Helsinki has refocused attention on specific events surrounding the 2016 US Presidential election. One of these moments was a crucial portion of the third Debate held on 19 October - twenty days prior to the election.

2/ What follows is a partial nonverbal analysis of that exchange.

3/ DONALD TRUMP (continuing at 27:21): "He has no respect for her. He has no respect for our president. And I'll tell you what. We're in very serious trouble. Because we have a country with tremendous numbers of nuclear warheads - eighteen hundred by the way..."

4/ DONALD TRUMP: "... Where they expanded and we didn't. Eighteen hundred nuclear warheads. And she is playing chicken. Look."

5/ CHRIS WALLACE (over-talking): "W-, w-, wait."

DONALD TRUMP: "Putin - from everything I see has no respect for this - person."

6/ HILLARY CLINTON: "Well, that's because he'd rather have a puppet as president of the United States."

DONALD TRUMP (over-talking): "No puppet. No Puppet."

HILLARY CLINTON: "And it is pretty clear - "

DONALD TRUMP (over-talking): "You're the puppet."

7/ HILLARY CLINTON: It's pretty clear - you won't admit -

DONALD TRUMP (over-talking): No, you're the puppet.

8/ HILLARY CLINTON: "... that the Russians have engaged in cyber attacks against the United States of America. That you encouraged espionage against our people. That you are willing to spout the Putin line, sign up for his wish list, break up NATO, do whatever he wants to do..."

9/ HILLARY CLINTON: "...And that you continue to get help from him because he has a very clear favorite in this race. So, I, I think that this is such an unprecedented, ah, situation. We've never had a foreign government trying to interfere in our election..."

10/ HILLARY CLINTON: "... We have seventeen, seventeen intelligence agencies, civilian and military who have all concluded that these espionage attacks, these cyber attacks, come from the highest levels of the Kremlin..."

11/ HILLARY CLINTON: "... And they are designed to influence our election. I find that deeply disturbing."

12/ During 27:51 - 27:52, as he says, "No puppet. No puppet." - candidate Trump displays a classic Rationalization Rapport Empathy Expression (abbreviated as R2E2).

13/ It's important here to emphasize that the person who is displaying this dynamic facial movement - is not feeling Empathy or Rapport - but they're trying to evoke these emotions in other people.

14/ It's manipulative. They are trying to get you to rationalize - and often while rationalizing themselves.

15/ Verbal language accompanying the R2E2 is virtually always refuting statements, e.g., "You don't want that", "I'm sure he didn't mean to say that", or "No puppet. No puppet."

This is a quintessential example of the importance of correlating verbal and nonverbal behavior.

16/ Another word is conspicuous by its absence. It should jump out at you. Donald Trump did NOT use the word "I". If he had true conviction in his denial, he should have said, "I'm no puppet" or "I'm not a puppet."

17/ When a person says, "Sorry" - or "Love you", their words don't carry anywhere near the weight, intents, or the emotions as, "I'm sorry" and "I love you". Trump left out the word "I" because he doesn't believe his own words.

18/ This is especially true when "I" is one of the most commonly spoken words in across almost all languages. Trump is not taking ownership.

19/ His lack of using the word "I" is amplified even further given Trump's narcissism. When a person with such a strong ego leaves off the first person singular pronoun - particularly in such an important rebuttal - red flags are raised.

20/ All mentally-healthy human beings make this expression on occasion - but you should beware when you see the R2E2 used frequently or during particularly important moments. This behavior is a screaming red flag.

21/ Donald Trump's nonverbal and paralanguage behavior indicates he's trying much too hard in his effort to convince us that he is not acting in concert with Vladimir Putin.

22/ The full expression of the R2E2 nonverbal cluster is impossible to capture in a still image. Please watch the video several times at regular speed, 1/2 speed, 1/4 speed - and once again at regular speed to fully appreciate this behavior in context.

23/ At multiple times during Secretary Clinton's response, Donald Trump nods his head up-and-down in a classic "Yes" affirmation.

24/ Trump's nods five times in only 43 seconds, immediately following Clinton saying,

"... that the Russians have engaged in ..." (nodding yes during 27:59)

"... break up NATO ..." (nodding yes during 28:14 - 28:15)

as well as ...

25/
"... do whatever he wants to do. And that you ..." (nodding yes during 28:17 - 28:18)

"... We have seventeen, seventeen intelligence agencies ..." (nodding yes during 28:37 - 28:38)

"... who have all concluded that ..." (nodding yes during 28:42)

26/ If candidate Trump had disagreed with Secretary Clinton, he should have been shaking his head side-to-side in a "No" gesture (illustrator) after each of his opponent's statements, rather than in a "Yes" up-and-down dynamic.

27/ Trump's multiple nodding agreements are very clear nonverbal demonstrations that his subconscious agrees with Clinton regarding his clandestine cooperation with Putin - as well as with Russia's cyber attacks.

28/ Mr. Trump only took four drinks of water during this 90-minute debate. It's not a coincidence that one of these occurred during 28:03 - 28:05, just after his puppet denial, and ...

29/ ... immediately after Secretary Clinton said, "... that the Russians have engaged in cyber attacks against the United States of America. That you encouraged ...".

30/ Anxiety acts quickly to dry up one's mouth and sudden thirst is a powerful indicator of this emotion.

31/ While anxiety alone does not imply deception - when taken in context with other verbal, paralanguage, and nonverbal indicators seen here - Trump's sudden dry mouth is highly suspicious.

32/ Another strong anxiety tell is Trump's adjustment of his microphone. Donald Trump is very skilled at NOT touching his face when he's experiencing anxiety or while lying - which is significantly unusual (although of course, he does occasionally do so).

33/ Most people - the honest and the deceptive - will touch their face far more often than the President.

34/ However, a surrogate behavior of facial touching is microphone adjustment - which Trump does fairly often. In the segment discussed here, he does so during 28:10 - 28:12, just after Hillary Clinton says, "... you are willing to spout the Putin line ..."

35/ Another dramatic insight into Trump's thought-emotions is displayed just after Clinton says, "... And that you continue to get help from him ..." - Trump smiles (28:20). This display is particularly important to watch at regular speed, 1/4, 1/2, and again at full speed.

36/ The image immediately above shows him just as his smile is forming. Note that his left side begins first - with the right side of his mouth momentarily suppressing it.

37/ A split second later (also during 28:20), Trump closes both eyes in a variation of a "Joker Smile" (referring to court jesters, scary clowns, and the Batman villain). None of the candidate's teeth are visible and the shape of his mouth opening is completely wrong.

38/ Trump's mouth is vectored strongly to the sides (laterally) - rather than primarily vertically as it would be during a sincere smile. His bottom lip is curled momentarily out.

39/ This deliberate and hyperbolic expression of insincere surprise combined with an insincere smile is - always duplicitous.

40/ A second later (during 28:21), Trump's center forehead elevates simultaneously with his false mouth smile.

41/ While everyone uses this expression once in a while, those who use it often (as Trump does, and not coincidentally, Putin as well) have a very high correlation with Antisocial Personality Disorder (commonly termed, 'Sociopaths').

42/ Notice also, that Trump blushes during this moment. Blushing while smiling (feigned smiling) during denial has an extremely high correlation with deception.

43/ Summary: Donald Trump's nonverbal behavior during this segment of the third 2016 Presidential Debate indicates he knew Russia was in the midst of a cyber-attack on the United States, that he welcomed it, and ...

44/ ... that Trump does, in fact, believe that he is a subordinate to Vladimir Putin.

END