Body Language Expert Tells Us Trump Attempts To Look Threatening After Defeat In Court
When Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 charges in his hush money case, he faced a quandary no former president has ever encountered: How to hold his face after learning he's a soon-to-be convicted felon. Did he try to look calm and stoic? Did he let the world see he was crying inside? Nah, but he couldn't hide his anger as he vowed to win the presidential election in November.
Inside the courtroom, Trump was surprisingly calm as the guilty verdict was read. But he had some fiery words for the media after he exited, saying, "We'll keep fighting. We'll fight 'til the end, and we'll win," (via CBS News). Body language expert Traci Brown, CSP, exclusively told Nicki Swift that Trump's demeanor was also that of someone who was seething with fury. "The only thing we see here are signs of anger," she said. "His eyebrows are down and pointed in towards the top of his nose. His eyes are in a squint." But at least Trump's discolored eyebags weren't as prominent as they've been in past court appearances.
The ex-president is also big on using his hands to demonstrate emotion — Trump uses his signature two-fisted dance to show his supporters he's having a good time soaking in their adoration. But when part of that fist comes unfurled, he means business. "At one point he points his finger which is generally to show threat," said Brown.
Donald Trump's demeanor was different before he learned his fate
According to MSNBC, Donald Trump actually seemed to be in a good mood when he entered the courtroom with his lawyer, Todd Blanche. "[They were] whispering conspiratorially like they had some extensive inside joke between them that they couldn't wait to stop talking about," said legal correspondent Lisa Rubin. Trump's former special assistant, Andrew Giuliani, told CBC (via Yahoo! News) his former boss had been feeling pretty good about the direction the case was going. "He is as optimistic and positive as ever," he said, adding that the best Trump could hope for would likely be a hung jury. He also thought Trump had a solid chance of avoiding a conviction because so much of his case rested on a single man: Michael Cohen. Giuliani revealed that he had been in contact with members of Trump's team, so if Trump was hearing similar things from them, this could explain why he was in a joking mood.
According to CNN reporter Kara Scannell, Trump likely believed he was going to go home without the jury announcing they had reached a verdict. The longer they deliberated, the better his outlook was, so apparently he was feeling some relief as the end of the day approached. Scannell said the first time she got to see Trump's face after the verdict, it was his favorite color: MAGA hat red. "He looked upset. He had a frown on his face," she said.
What the jurors' body language was like during the trial
On MSNBC, Lisa Rubin said the 12 jurors looked as though they were relieved the trial was over once they reached a verdict. Former prosecutor Jeremy Saland told Business Insider it was likely hurting Donald Trump that no one on his legal team told him to try to train his face into a more congenial expression. "They should be telling him that a 'resting scowl face' doesn't help him at all," he said. Attorney Jeffrey Lichtman agreed that Trump's "Blue Steel" act wasn't doing him any favors with the jury. However, Business Insider also pointed out that the jurors seemed to be trying not to look at Trump during the trial.
MSNBC reporter Katy Tur said the jurors continued to avoid making eye contact with Trump after the trial was over. "Not a single one of them, from my vantage point, looked at his face," she said. But they'll be seeing plenty of it when they get home and turn on their televisions.
Rubin also made an observation about how Judge Juan Merchan reacted to the verdict: "He put his head in his hands for a second, almost like weighing the gravity of what happened in his courtroom."