On Tuesday, 10 April 2018, during the White House Press Briefing - April Ryan, the Correspondent for the American Urban Radio Networks, asked Sarah Huckabee Sanders a historic question. What follows is an analysis of the Press Secretary's nonverbal response.
APRIL RYAN (beginning at 9:28): With all of this turmoil, particularly this last week, has the
president at any time - thought about stepping down - before or now?
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS: Ah, No - and I think that's a - absolutely ridiculous question.
APRIL RYAN: No it's not. It's not ridiculous. It's not ridiculous.
SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS: I gave you two questions April, we're moving on. Jordan, go ahead Ω
APRIL RYAN: It's not ridiculous.
JORDAN: Thanks. Thanks Sarah. Did § did National Security Advisor, John Bolton force Tom Bossert out of his job?
During 9:36 - Sarah Huckabee Sanders displays Anger - along with overt Contempt as she says, "Ah, No - and I think".
Anger: Note her eyebrows - which are pulled together and vectored downward - along with substantial tension in her lower eyelids.
Contempt: The asymmetry and preferential contraction/elevation of her left, mid-facial region.
During 9:43, just after she says, "Jordan, go ahead" (notated by the Ω symbol), Ms. Huckabee Sanders elevates her Central Forehead - simultaneous with opening her eyelids wider than baseline (Fear) - and a mouth configured in a High-Anxiety + Regret expression.
This is an utterly classic expression - and while, on its own, certainly does not indicate that the President is stepping down - it absolutely does indicate that the Press Secretary is Fearful this is a possibility.
During 9:47 (notated with the § symbol) we see Sarah Huckabee Sanders displays a second expression of Contempt.
During 9:48 (as Jordan says, "National Security Advisor"), the Press Secretary rubs her upper forehead with her dominant (right) hand. This gesture (one type of MAP [Manipulator, Adaptor, Pacifier]) is a very common signal of elevated anxiety.
Summary: In this 12-second segment (9:36 - 9:48) - Sarah Huckabee Sanders displays substantial emotional fluctuation, oscillating rapidly from Contempt - to High Anxiety-Fear-Regret - back to Contempt - then back to Anxiety. The Press Secretary's nonverbal behavior is screaming. Her rapid dynamic is a textbook example of Emotional Dissonance. She's having significant difficulty aligning her true thoughts and feelings with her verbal statements.
What follows is a partial nonverbal analysis highlighting some key moments of this exchange.
The image immediately above is from 26:50 as April Ryan begins to say, "You don't seem so happy" - Note that Sean Spicer's eyes (eyelids) open up widely in what is an excellent example of classic, subtle display of a partial microexpression of anger. This primed Mr. Spicer's temper - leading to the ensuing loss of his impulse control.
Ms. Ryan continues (at 26:55), "With all these investigations, questions of what is - is, how does this administration, try to revamp its image, two and a half months in? You've got this Yates story today - you've got other things going on, you've got Russia, you've got, you've got wiretapping and you've got [inaudible] - "
Mr. Spicer [over-talking]: "No we don't have that - you, you, you've, I, I know ..."
Ms. Ryan: "You have the investigation on Capitol Hill ..."
Mr. Spicer: "No, no, I get it but you keep, I, I've said it from - the day that I got here until whenever that, that there is no connection, 'You've got Russia, if the President puts Russian salad dressing on his salad tonight - somehow that's a Russian connection ..."
Immediately after Ms. Ryan says "You've go this Yates story today" - in the moment just prior to and continuing during her next two words of "you've got" (during 27:08), Sean Spicer displays another classic microexpression - this one indicating an amalgam of both anger and disgust (captured in image immediately above).
During 27:37, just as says, "No, at some point report the facts ...", Mr. Spicer displays a brief "Finger-point, hand-chop".
Another finger-point, hand-chop is displayed during 27:44 - 27:46, "... The facts are, that every single person who has been briefed on this subject has come away with the same conclusion, republican, democrat, so - I'm sorry that that disgusts you - you're shaking your head ..."
During 28:19 a closely related nonverbal signal is seen - a "Finger Jab" - "We going keep doing everything we're doing to make sure that the President's, that, what the President told the American people he was going to do ...."
During 29:10 - 29:12 yet another finger-point hand-chop is seen as the Press Secretary says, "It seems like you're hell-bent on trying to make sure that what ever image you want to tell about this White House stays because at the end of the day ..."
There exists a very high correlation with deception when the "Finger-Point, Hand-Chop" gesture (illustrator) is seen in response to accusations.
Conclusion: Sean Spicer's nonverbal signals in this exchange with April Ryan - specifically his repeated "finger-point, hand-chops" as well as his disgust-anger microexpression when the subject of Sally Yates was mentioned - indicate, with high probability, that the Press Secretary was engaged in some element of deception.
This post includes, first a partial transcript from that portion of the presser - followed by body language analysis.
TRUMP (continuing at 1:12:45): ....We have to help African American people that, for the most part, are stuck there. Hispanic [longer pause] American people. We have Hispanic American people that are in the inner cities - and they're living in hell. I mean, you look at the numbers - in Chicago. There are two Chicagos, as you know. There's one Chicago that's [in]credible, luxurious and all - and safe. There's another Chicago that's worse than - almost any of the places in the Middle East that we talk about, and that you talk about every night on the newscasts. So, we're going to do a lot of work on the inner cities. I have great people lined up to help with the inner cities. OK?
RYAN: Well, when you saythe inner cities [tight tongue jut at 1:13:27] are you going - are you going to include the CBC, Mr. President [eyebrow flash x 2 at 1:13:30] in your conversations with your - your urban agenda, your inner city agenda, as well as -
RYAN: I know some of them, but I'm sure they're watching right now.
DONALD TRUMP: Let's go set up a meeting. I would love to meet with the Black Caucus. I think it's great, the Congressional Black Caucus. I think it's great. Ummm [intermediate tongue jut at 1:13:53] I actually thought I had a meeting with Congressman Cummings and he was all excited. And then he said, well, I can't move, it might be bad for me politically. I can't have that meeting. I was all set to have the meeting. You know, we called him and called him. And he was all set. I spoke to him on the phone, very nice guy.
End of (Partial) Transcript, Analysis begins below:
During 1:13:26 (as April Ryan is saying, "Well, when you say"), Trump's mouth and the region around his mouth tightens (image immediately above). This very brief configuration of the mouth is similar to what an infant's face will display, just as he's about to spit out food he dislikes.
A second later, during 1:13:27 (as April Ryan is saying, "the inner cities"), Trump's eyelids almost completely close as he displays a "Tight Tongue Jut". A tight tongue jut is an indication of disdain, disgust and feelings of being repulsed by a person, thing or idea (e.g., "I want to spit it out").
President Trump displays another Tongue Jut during 1:13:53 just after he says, "I think it's great. Ummm" and just before he says, "I actually thought I had a meeting with Congressman Cummings and he was all excited". His mouth is not held as tightly this time - thus this tongue jut is intermediate between a "Tight Tongue Jut" and a "Loose Tongue Jut".
Now lets go back a few seconds to when Ms. Ryan spoke this passage:
RYAN: Well, when you saythe inner cities, are you going - are you going to include the CBC, Mr. President [see below] in your conversations with your - your urban agenda, your inner city agenda, as well as -
Just after she says the word, "President", Trump turns toward Ms. Ryan and displays two quick eyebrow flashes (during 1:13:30). An "eyebrow flash" is a very quick and brief upward movement of the eyebrows. There were also simultaneous partial (almost complete) eyelid closures. This points strongly to Trump not knowing what Ms. Ryan had meant when she used the acronym "CBC". Some people have suggested (including Ms. Ryan) that the President may not have heard her. However if, when a crucial word is not heard in the context of an important conversation, the eyebrows don't just flash - rather they stay elevated. And importantly, in such a scenario the eyelids don't move in the opposite direction of the eyebrows resulting in partial closure (e.g., eyelids moving down, while eyebrows moving up). This opposite motion dynamic is correlated with insincerity (as well as contempt and disgust).
Please watch this exchange at 1/2 speed and then at full speed to more fully appreciate this somewhat subtle and evanescent nonverbal display.
The implication that one black person must know all black people is certainly an example of prejudice. Such statements also indicate an overall low empathy quotient. Moreover, the dramatically out-of-context suggestion that Ms. Ryan should "set up a meeting" is both prejudice and patronizing.
Yet the specific reason - the trigger - which caused Mr. Trump to act in this manner and in this moment was precipitated by his desire to draw attention away from the fact he did not know what "CBC" had meant. It was as a loud, rude and prejudice act of misdirection in order to avoid this from being discovered.
Body Language Summary: Donald Trump displayed nonverbal signals of disdain, disgust and repulsion during this exchange with journalist April Ryan. President Trump's body language indicates he lied he spoke of Representative Cummings cancelling a meeting with him for political motives. Trump was unaware that "CBC" is an acronym for the Congressional Black Caucus.
