COLUMBUS, Ohio — Tuesday's debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden may be the most anticipated in a generation. And, almost as important as what the candidates say, can be how they say it.
Indeed, for better or worse, the presidential candidates are judged on more than their words. Richard Nixon learned this the hard way in his 1960 debates with John F. Kennedy.
And since most will watch—rather than listen—to tonight’s debate, Dr. Donna Van Natten, a body language expert who released a new book called The Body Language of Politics, wants to help readers understand what subtle and not-so-subtle cues body language gives. Van Natten says, ironically, both Trump and Biden have a lot in common.
“Well, they’re both men this time. They’re both seniors. They’re both white. They’re both relatively tall. Age and experience, you know, those kind of issues are kind of neutralized this time, which is not always the case as we know.”
There’s also “the look,” and, according to Van Natten, both candidates will stick with tradition.
“You, as with many professions, politics also has a uniform. In this case, it’s a suit that they’ll both be wearing. A tie. They wear the traditional red or blue. Trump, as we know, tends to go a little off-color with pink or yellow or even patterns. But it’s imperative that they’re both wearing the flag lapel pin as part of the uniform.”
Yet there are differences between the two nominees.
“Biden tends to be more expressive with the forehead and eyes. And, of course, you can’t miss those pearly whites. They’re really bright. They’re really straight, and he flashes them a lot. However, with Trump, you don’t see the smile as much. But see larger gestures with the hands from him to express his ideas.”
Getting to the podium will also different between them.
“And you’ll notice how they’re walking. They’re very different in their style and the gait. Trump tends to lean forward with the upper body as he walks, whereas Biden’s a little stiffer and more upright if you will.”
And although Trump is sometimes accused by his opponents of being aggressive, Van Natten sees both candidates’ body language displaying aggressive behavior.
“And when we notice a lot of the facial microexpressions we call them, they both have a tendency to show the lower teeth when they’re talking or they’re being aggressive or assertive. And, nonverbally, when we see the lower teeth when someone’s speaking, we assign that to aggressiveness that we see with animals. You know, like when they’re upset or riled kind of thing. So, it won’t be as blatant as that, but we will notice that we’ll see a lot of action in the mouth.
Meanwhile, Biden is accused by opponents of not having clear speech. Again, Van Natten sees this as an issue that both candidates share.
“They both tend to ramble on or stumble over their words. Reality: they’d be better off to pause, let the cognitive load on the brain reset and then respond. Sometimes they’d both be better off to pause and then respond.”
The similarity between these candidates’ body language may only heighten the intrigue.
