Body language expert says Trump displayed anxiety and ‘lower confidence’ in interview after felony conviction
A body language expert says Donald Trump’s interview after being convicted of 34 felonies showed signs of anxiety and “lower confidence” in his non-verbal cues.
Dr Jack Brown, an ophthalmologist and self-proclaimed body language expert said there were crucial nonverbal signals [Trump] displayed” during his interview with Fox News on June 2 to talk about the trial over hush money payments and hot button issues.
His first big revelation: the former president crossed his ankles during the interview.
“Regardless of the person being interviewed, with rare exception, this ankle crossing/lower leg crossing is not a wise leg-foot posture to adopt during an interview,” Brown wrote on X. “Why? Because it both engenders – as well as a sign of – emotional discomfort and lower confidence.”
Brown claims to have "analyzed [Trump] thousands of times" over the past nine years, and said he has never seen the former president cross his ankles, saying the act was "extremely rare."
At several points in the interview - though Brown admits it was not a wide angle the entire time - the president was seen with his legs crosseed as he sat in the chair in front of hte fire.
Brown said Trump typically keeps "both his feet flat on the floor," which means him crossing his ankles is "extremely significant."
Brown also pointed to a specific answer Trump gave regarding his ideal traits for a vice president.
"So you always have to say, and I, I mean it – is if something should happen to the president, ya have to get somebody [who can] be a good [president]. Okay?" Mr Trump said when asked what he wants in a vice president.
This was significant to Brown, who said Trump, 77, has never implied his own mortality before in that context. He then claims Trump's feet "squirm" immediately after he implied his own mortality, which apparently suggests that he is anxious, according to the doctor.
"People show anxiety in their feet all the time – we just don't look at them," he wrote. "Flexing and extending one's toes and the entire foot/feet within our shoes as well as moving the entire foot/feet and lower legs are further nonverbal manifestations of this anxiety."
The doctor's next observation? A "variation of a seated fig leaf."
For those uninitiated in the ways of professional body language analysis, a "fig leaf" is a hand gesture in which one hand covers another in a fold or clasp for an extended length of time. This is, according to body language analysts, bad.
"Now look at Trump's hands. Trump's not displaying his usual low steeple (low conventional steeple) in this moment – rather he's covering his left (non-dominant) hand over his right (dominant) hand," the doctor wrote.
After noticing the variation of a seated fig leaf, Brown points out Trump is "turtling" by slouching his shoulders forward and elevating them, minimizing his neck - similar to a turtle.
Brown suggests this action shows "extremely low confidence and emotional discomfort."
Brown concludes that the former president's "foot-leg configuration ... indicates his significantly lowered confidence and emotional discomfort as a result of his 34 Felony Convictions for election interference," though that is not actually what Trump was convicted for. He was convicted for falsifying documents.
His election interference cases has yet to conclude.
"Donald Trump's body language (coupled with his verbal language) indicates he has significant anxiety about not living long enough to serve a full second term," Brown concludes. "Trump is feeling his own mortality – and it's showing."
