On 7 June 2016, two days prior to the now infamous Trump Tower meeting, Donald Trump gave a speech in Westchester, New York. A video of that speech is included above. It took place on the same night the presumptive Republican nominee won primaries in California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
What follows is a nonverbal analysis of a small but crucial portion of that speech - when Trump teased the electorate with the forthcoming release of damaging information on Hillary Clinton.
Beginning at 7:02, Candidate Trump continues, "... I am going to give a major speech on - probably Monday of next week and we're going to be discussing all of the things that have taken place with the Clintons. I think you're going to find it very informative and very, very interesting."
About a second after he finishes this sentence (during 7:20), Donald Trump displays a profoundly telling nonverbal signal - a Loose Tongue Jut.
A loose tongue jut indicates the thought feelings of:
• I've been bad
• I've done a foolish thing
• I've been caught/I'm going to be caught
If we look carefully though, less than a second prior to this loose tongue jut (also during 7:20), we see another significant display - subtle, but just as insightful: a Tongue-in-Cheek maneuver.
A tongue-in-cheek dynamic projects the thought-feelings of:
• I Won
• Gotcha!
• Overlapping Smugness
Now, look at this wider angle image of the same moment. Ivanka Trump's body language was also noteworthy. Ms. Trump, who, three seconds earlier, had been looking at the audience:
• Turned her head, neck, and eyes toward her father
• Shifted back and forth on her feet
• Momentarily suppressed a mouth smile
• Pulled her cheeks inward
• Blushed slightly
• Narrowed her eyes (partially closed her eyelids)
Ivanka Trump held this facial expression for about two seconds. The action of pulling or sucking one's cheeks inward - often biting the insides of the cheeks mildly to moderately - is a common subconscious and edge-of-consciousness maneuver occurring during the suppression of smiling. At 7:23, Ms. Trump can't resist and then smiles fully.
This particular cluster pattern of suppressed smiling was an example of Duping Delight. She is experiencing sincere joy-happiness in her belief that she knows a secret. It would have been very natural and normal for context to smile when your father is the presumptive Republican Presidential nominee, yet she reigned-in her smile. Her blushing while biting/sucking in her cheeks are especially telling - and indicate that she was doing her best to maintain a poker face - to avoid divulging information. She wanted to keep clandestine.
SUMMARY: Donald Trump's nonverbal behavior during this speech is highly consistent with his belief that he's about to receive politically damaging information regarding Hillary Clinton. He is smug and giddy with anticipation. This speech took place two days prior to the 9 June 2016 Trump Tower Meeting - and four days after Donald Trump Jr and Rob Goldstone arranged the meeting.
Moreover, Ivanka Trump's simultaneous nonverbal behavior indicates with high probability, that she also had foreknowledge of the Trump Tower meeting.
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See also:
Body Language Analysis No. 4330: Donald Trump, "No Puppet. No Puppet. You're the Puppet"
Body Language Analysis No. 4328: Mike Pompeo Testifies to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Body Language Analysis No. 4326: Carter Page's near-constant Smile
Body Language Analysis No. 4324: President Trump's Post-Helsinki Damage Control
Body Language Analysis No. 4319: Jim Jordan Fox Interview - regarding Allegations of Ignoring Complaints of Sexual Abuse at Ohio State - Part II
Body Language Analysis No. 4299: Bill Clinton confronted regarding Monica Lewinsky Affair
Body Language Analysis No. 4202: Saoirse Ronan, Ed Sheeran, and Galway Girl (Galway Grill)
Body Language Analysis No. 4000: Garbiñe Muguruza, Wimbledon, and Sincerity
Body Language Analysis No. 3996: Donald Trump Jr.'s and Natalia Veselnitskaya's meeting
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