Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his toddler daughter, Angie Valeri drowned last week while trying to cross the Rio Grande River. Óscar and his family had journeyed from El Salvador - escaping violence and seeking refuge.
A photograph of Óscar and Valeria, side-by-side, her arm draped around his neck tragically humanizes the Central American diaspora. It reminds many of an iconic image of Aylan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian refugee, whose body washed up on Turkey's shores, near Bodrum, in 2015.
On 26 June 2019, President Trump was asked about their drowning and any possible ramifications this may have on his immigration policy. What follows is a partial nonverbal analysis of this exchange.
During 0:03, just after he says, "Yeah" (and just after the journalist begins his question, "Does the photo of the drowned immigrants cause you -"), Donald Trump displays a Tight Tongue Jut. A Tight Tongue Jut is a nonverbal sign of the thought-emotion of:
• Disgust
• Disdain
• Repulsion
(Take care not to mistake a Tight Tongue Jut for a Loose Tongue Jut or a Wide Open Tongue Jut)
Notice Trump's verbal language, "if they fixed the laws, you wouldn't have that". The word "they", in this context, is an example of distancing and misdirecting language - it's a form of paralanguage camouflage. Of course, the President is a component of "they".
Notice Trump's use of the word, "rapidity" to describe the flow rate of the river. A president is, of course, not expected to be a potamologist, however, the word "rapidity" is not a word most educated people commonly use to describe a river's rate of flow. And, while we all occasionally stumble for words, the President is doing so with increasing frequency. Note his use of the word "thee" (with a long e) just prior to the word, "rapidity". This vocal variation ("thee" rather than "the") is a common subconscious/edge-of-consciousness paralanguage stalling technique (along with the accompanying pause) often employed while searching for words. For a similar reason - that of scrambling/searching for a plausible explanation - use of "thee" is also associated with deception.
During 0:29, Trump's hand-arm illustrator is incongruent with his the gesture of "go(ing) through", "But people go through the guards"). Notice also his vocal emphasis on the word "through". This nonverbal-verbal-paralanguage disparity is an indication that Trump does not believe what he's saying. His anxiety-driven over-compensatory behavior is reminiscent of a hocus-pocus/Wizard of Oz - pay no attention to the man behind the curtain type of moment.
He displays a nearly identical gesture in a similar context later, during 1:04 - 1:06, as he says, "because that journey across that river" (Additionally, the word "journey" was also out of context here - yes, Óscar and his family were on a long journey, but a river crossing (aka a fording) is not a journey).
Trump contracts his right index finger, just as he says, "If we had the right laws that - the Democrats are not letting us have", when only a second before - that finger had been extended (0:31). ( "If we had the right laws that - the Democrats are not letting us have - those people, they wouldn't be coming up - they wouldn't be trying"). This sudden finger dynamic tells us the President completely lacks confidence in what he has just said. As he retracts the most dominant digit of his dominant hand, he's attempting to deceive us.
Trump displays a hyper-alpha hand chop as he says, "wall" ("We're building the wall..."). This is one possible dominant gesture we would have expected him to use earlier, when he said, "But people go through the guards".
During 0:41, as he says, "lot" ("it's [sic] a lot of it is under construction"), Trump he torques his head (a sudden rotation combined with a tilt). In this context, it's accurately described as a Head-Fake. For while such a head torque is frequently a sign of emphasis and conviction - Trump quite often and deliberately uses it as a ruse. Note that he's simultaneously raising a single eyebrow - his left - projecting his disbelief at his own statement. This eyebrow dynamic is subconscious. Whenever conscious and subconscious nonverbals are used together - it's the subconscious ones which tell the true thought-emotions.
It's also profoundly important here - that Trump does not use his hands or arms to illustrate his verbal statements during this sub-segment. This sudden disappearance of his hands is another profound signal of his lack of conviction and honesty.
During 0:56, Trump bends significantly forward (at his waist) as his arms and hands rock forward in palm out-and-down configuration. This dynamic is a nonverbal metaphor - symbolic for pushing Óscar (the father) away.
Notice how the President not only grows louder as he says, "father", but he also verbally stretches-out the word. This is analogous to someone shouting in English to another person who only understands Spanish - Trump's nonverbal-verbal-paralanguage display is over-compensatory. Because he has a complete absence of empathy, he bends forward, shouts, and stretches the word. This is not a feigning of empathy - rather it's a short-circuit manifestation/behavior of a person who is NOT experiencing empathy.
To a somewhat lesser extent, he repeats the same nonverbal, verbal, and paralanguage behavior - during 1:01, as he says, "Daughter".
The President performs a similar nonverbal display, earlier in this video, during 0:33 - 0:35, when he says, "Democrats are not letting us have".
Another manifestation of Trump's complete lack of empathy - is demonstrated by his distancing language of "father" and "his daughter" - rather than humanizing them by using their names: Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez - and Angie Valeria.
As he says "probably was this wonderful guy", Trump displays two consecutive unilateral eyebrow raises ("probably" [0:58] and "wonderful" [0:59]) - on his left side - each indicating Trump does not believe his own words. He also shakes his head, in a side-to-side, "No" motion. Whenever the nonverbal language contradicts the verbal language - it's the nonverbal which tells the truth.
Yet another left eyebrow raise is displayed again as Trump says, "happen" ("Things like that wouldn't happen", 1:03).
During 1:19 - 1:21, after he says "people drowning in the rivers" ("open borders mean crime and open borders mean people drowning in the rivers"), Trump uses a variation of a Finger-Point-Hand-Chop. A finger-point-hand-chop is correlated with Hyperbolic Defensiveness and Deception.
SUMMARY: Based on his nonverbal, verbal and paralanguage behavior used during this exchange, at no time, did President Trump display any empathy regarding the recent Rio Grande River drowning deaths of Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez and his young daughter, Angie Valeria.
An empathy expression requires a corners down-turned sadden mouth configuration together with an elevated central forehead.
The President also repeatedly lied during this video.
Contrary to his words, the President does NOT at all believe that Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez was, "probably was this wonderful guy". Moreover, Donald Trump is repulsed, disgusted by, and feels disdain toward the people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Donald Trump does NOT believe that that "open borders mean crime" or that "open borders mean people drowning in the rivers".
The President does NOT believe that if the Democrats passed his proposed border/immigration legislation, that it would prevent mass immigration from Central America.
President Trump is increasingly misunderstanding words and using terminology out of context. These are but two of his many symptoms strongly suggesting he has progressive dementia.
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See also:
Body Language Analysis No. 4387: Donald Trump Welcomes Foreign Interference in US Elections
Body Language Analysis No. 4386: Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump in Churchill's War Room
Body Language Analysis No. 4385: William Barr Testimony - Part II - Senate Judiciary Committee - 1 May 2019
Body Language Analysis No. 4384: William Barr's Testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on 1 May 2019 - Part I
Body Language Analysis No. 4382: Why is Donald Trump Leaning Forward?
Body Language Analysis No. 4381: Trump 'jokes' about staying in office for "at least for 10 or 14 years"
Body Language Analysis No. 4380: Tiger Woods Wins his first Masters in 14 years
Body Language Analysis No. 4360: GE's CEO Larry Culp's CNBC Interview and Subsequent Stock Sell-off
Body Language Analysis No. 4332: Richard Nixon, Nikita Khrushchev, and The Kitchen Debate
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