Body Language and Behavior Analysis No. 4762: Donald Trump asked if he would denounce Bomb Threats in Springfield, Ohio – Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence

On Saturday 14 Sept. 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Donald Trump was asked: "Do you denounce the bomb threats in Springfield, Ohio?"

What follows is a body language, paralanguage and statement analysis of his response to that question.

Donald Trump: "Ahhh, I don't know what happened, ahhh, with thee [sic] ahhh, bomb threats. I know that it's been taken over by, ahhh, allegal [sic] migrants, and it's a terrible thing that happens."

Trump continues: "... Springfield was this beautiful town – and now they're goin' through hell. It's a [pause] sad thing."

One nonverbal behavior that immediately jumps out is Donald Trump opening his eyelids wide (particularly his left eye as his right eyelid is more 'droopy' [mild-moderate ptosis, most likely age-related]).

It's crucial to note this evanescent eyelid opening occurs *after* the words "bomb threats" are spoken – but *before* the words "Springfield, Ohio". This sudden eyelid opening signifies an adrenaline surge (and, specifically, in this context indicating fear).

Trump immediately blinks (anxiety), then closing his eyes, he rapidly rotates his head to his right (moving away from the journalist) as he says, "Ahhh, I don't know ...".

Note that Trump rotates his head even further to his right [and even more so away from the reporter], in the second portion of this sentence, "...what happened, ahhh, with thee [sic] ahhh, bomb threats..."

Trump *really* doesn't want to look at the reporter (his eyelid closure, blinking, turning away) – are all variations of diminished eye contact – prevalent behaviors during deception and whilst trying to maintain clandestine acts.

As Trump says, "I know that it's been taken over by, ahhh, allegal [sic] migrants" – he rotates his head, so that he's again facing the reporter. During this time, his eyes progressively open back up again, while still blinking with increased frequency over his baseline (anxiety).  

 

 
Trump's mispronunciation of "illegal" as "allegal" is also notable. As he speaks this word, Trump displays a microexpression of disgust. (Trump's fourth "ahhh" in this brief statement is spoken immediately prior to him saying, "allegal").

It's crucial to point out that the expression of disgust was the most common emotion displayed by Nazi staff at concentration camps during WWII (followed closely in frequency by their expressions' of contempt).

Notice too, how Trump stretches-out his pronunciation word "the" (99.9+% of the time it's pronounced with a short e, unstressed, 'schwa' sound) into a "thee" pronunciation (stressed vowel, long e).

Such syllable-stretching is often correlated with time-stalling behaviors – as well as during deception.

Note also Trump's multiple "ahhhs" (four times in just 5.4 seconds) – another indication of anxiety, in addition to a common method of stalling for time while attempting to formulate an answer. 

Trump's "thee" is in fact, sandwiched in between two "ahhhs" ("...ahhh, with thee [sic] ahhh ...") – which, in this context, is amplifying his other signals of deception.

Note Trump's very first reflex is to deny any knowledge of bomb threats – rather than denouncing these acts – or expressing sadness, frustration, or anger at those who perpetrated these felonious acts. In fact he still hasn't denounced these bomb threats.

The journalist was not accusing Trump of the bomb threats, but given Trump's response, we should think so – because his first impulse is to deny having any knowledge of the event (which absolutely no one believes). 

Denying knowledge of an event of common knowledge has an extremely high correlation with deception.

Notice too, as Trump says, "...taken over by...", he elevates up on his toes (Note Trump's head elevates along with his shoulders). This is one manifestation of an adrenaline surge. Why the surge in Trump's adrenaline?

It's a common tactic to deny knowledge of an event whilst lying, however Donald Trump claims naïvaté much more frequently when the question is suggestive of or overlaps with an element of his racism.

SUMMARY: Donald Trump's behavior during this brief exchange is more than racist political rhetoric or routine political deception...

Yes, Trump lied (of course he knew about the bomb threats in Springfield, OH) – but for someone so very accustomed to lying (esp. re crucial issues), his heightened fear and adrenaline surges during his answer are red-lights-flashing-sirens-blaring-level-suspicious...

... Trump's behavior strongly suggests he had foreknowledge of the bomb threats in Springfield Ohio – or some other similar event regarding another bombing/bomb threat.

Inquiries regarding consulting, teaching (one-on-one or groups), keynotes, and press: Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com

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