Thursday was Hope Hicks' last day as the White House Director of Communications. She had served at this post for approximately six and a half months - and another month as acting Director.
The video above shows her saying goodbye to President Trump just prior to his departure on Marine One. While the nonverbal elements in this brief exchange are numerous - the one highlighted here, while not as dramatic, is quite telling.
The instant captured in the image above (and the cropped-close up below, during the 0:09 mark in the above video) shows Donald Trump with his left arm around Ms. Hicks' waist, waving at the camera with his right hand - and smiling.
But wait - that's not really a smile.
Notice the left corner of Trump's mouth is elevated, while the right side is vectored downward. Such asymmetrical "smiles" - with one side up and the other side down - are always duplicitous. They're universally insincere.
Yet, even if the President's right side exactly mirrored the left side of his face - it would still not be a sincere smile, for all the other components of sincerity are missing in this moment (Can you name them?). Moreover, at no time during this departure did President Trump display a true smile of Joy-Happiness (aka a Duchenne Smile).
Fascinatingly, the side of the President's mouth which is feigning joy - is the same side as Ms. Hicks.
Summary: As he says his final goodbye to Hope Hicks, President Trump's expression is insincere. His "smile" and emotions are duplicitous.
On Thursday, while in Japan, Vice President Pence was asked about the allegations against Rob Porter, the now-former staff Secretary for President Trump. On Wednesday it was made public that both of Mr. Porter's former wives have accused him of physical and emotional abuse. Jenny Willoughby, his second wife, sought and received an emergency protective order against him. Mr. Porter has denied the allegations and yesterday, after these reports became public, he resigned as President Trump's Staff Secretary. Mr. Porter had been dating Hope Hicks, the White House Communications Director, at the time of his resignation.
What follows is a partial nonverbal analysis of Vice President Pence.
FIRST JOURNALIST (beginning at 0:00): Going to turn back to home Ω- there ah - I was wondering if you could ah, comment on the allegations against Rob Porter the ah, President's Staff Secretary. Ah, when were you made avail, ah, aware of those allegations and how - and then, additionally there are reports now that General Kelly and others at the White House had been aware of these allegations for several months and have been trying to deal with them and p- protect him ∆. Do you believe the President is being well served by his senior staff?
VICE PRESIDENT PENCE: Well let me say, we're standing in Yokota Air Force Base in Japan - we're on our way to The Olympics. Um, and um, I, I learned as I a, awoke this morning - of those developments - and so we'll - we'll comment on any issues affecting the White House staff when we get back to Washington.
ASHLEY PARKER (Second Journalist) : Can I just briefly follow-up on that and ask, this ah, now a number of times when you found out ab- you're the Vice President - you're number two in the administration - where you found out about something very late - after a number of other senior staff below you - even in the West Wing have found out about it. Again, I understand - we're standing in here, but can you comment on why you often seem a little bit out of the loop on some of this major news?
VICE PRESIDENT PENCE: ah, you know it's a great honor for me to serve as vice president - and President Trump [shaking head no] has been incredibly generous with the responsibilities and opportunities he's given me to serve - representing the United States on the foreign stage as we have here in Japan - as we will later today in South Korea 'nd - 'course at The Olympics - and also being involved in the legislative process and I'm [deep inhalation] I'm very grateful for that and um, but we'll, we'll leave those White House staffing matters for when we get back to Washington.
During 0:01, just after the first journalist says, "Going to turn back to home" - the Vice President displays an Inward Lip Roll (ILR). An Inward Lip Roll (notated by the Ω symbol) is an attempt to prevent strong emotions from escalating - both inwardly and from being expressed outwardly.
During 0:18, just after the first journalist says, "... that General Kelly and others at the White House had been aware of these
allegations for several months and have been trying to deal with them
and p- protect him...", Mike Pence's mouth temporarily takes on a classic regret expression. This is notated by the ∆ symbol.
He also displays an extended blink - in a subconscious effort to dismiss and/or block the comment/thought.
More than any other high-level politician currently in Washington, the Vice President makes the expression captured in the above image:
• Elevated Central Forehead Contraction
simultaneous with a
• Partial Mouth Smile
We all - every human being - makes this expression from time-to-time. It indicates the thought-emotions of:
• Arrogance
• Smug Incredulity
• Contempt
It's crucial to note that all three of these emotions have other expressions.
However, when a person makes this expression often - as Mike Pence does indeed do - it's a highly reliable signal of a:
In this context, either possibility is ominous. Moreover, the two populations overlap considerably.
The Vice President displays a Hard Swallow (during 0:55) as Ms. Parker says, "... Again, I understand - we're standing in here, but can you comment on why you often seem a little bit out of the loop on some of this major news?"
(Please watch the video, as this dynamic is not captured with a still image)
Just after Ms. Parker says, "... out of the loop ..." (during 0:58), the Vice President displays both:
• Disgust
• Anger
Watch this several times at full and then 1/2 speed. Concentrate on his mid-facial region - specifically between his upper lip and nose - as well as his nostrils.
During 1:03 - 1:04, as the Vice President says, "... President Trump ...", Pence shakes his head side-to-side in a classic NO illustrator. The next words (the rest of the sentence) out of Pence's mouth are:
"... has been incredibly generous with the responsibilities and opportunities he's given me to serve..."
This side-to-side head shake (NO), prior to his verbal statement, indicates Pence's true feelings contradict the words (Pence, in fact, does NOT feel President Trump has been incredibly generous with the responsibilities and opportunities Trump has given him).
(Please watch the video, as this dynamic is not captured with a still image)
Summary:Vice President Pence displayed anxiety, disgust, anger, and deception during this video segment. His chronic display of an Elevated Central Forehead Contraction coupled with a Partial (Suppressed) Mouth Smile is an ominous pattern of behavior in anyone - particularly by such a high-level elected official.
Yesterday, in a triple-sourced article, The New York Times reported that Mark Corallo (who served as a spokesman for Donald Trump's legal team before resigning in July) has concerns that the White House communications director Hope Hicks "could be contemplating obstructing justice".
Specifically, Ms. Hicks allegedly told President Trump on a conference call that Donald Trump Jr.'s emails "will never get out,". It's also reported that Mr. Corallo plans to share this information with special counsel Robert Mueller.
The above picture of Hope Hicks was taken in early November 2017. She was on a small boat with other members of the President's entourage - on their way to the Pearl Harbor memorial. This stop in Hawai'i occurred just prior to Donald Trump's five-nation Asia trip.
With rare exception, whenever a woman exposes her armpits - and more specifically as Ms. Hicks is doing here - directed OUT LATERALLY (not straight ahead) - it's a subtype of high-alpha nonverbal behavior. More specifically, this display is very strong signal of both sexual attraction and putting oneself on sexual display.
Hicks' sexual emotions are being amplified even further via the upward direction of her elbows.
Of course, both men and women need (and feel the need) to adjust their hair. However, regardless of gender, no one ever makes this configuration without first feeling high levels of emotional confidence (alpha emotions). Moreover, with women, it's extremely rare for this behavior (arms held high, elbows out laterally) to occur without the presence of either significant sexual attraction and/or in the absence of a sexual display.
Summary: Hope Hicks is, with very high probability, sexually attracted to the man with whom she's speaking - and she wants him to know it.
Hope Hicks was named interim White House Communications Director when Anthony Scaramucci was fired on 16 August 2017. She was appointed to the position permanently on 12 September.
This image was captured in the White House briefing room.
Notice the components of Director Hicks' facial expression. Her inner (medial) eyebrows are vectored downward. There's also a tightening of both of her lower eyelids.
Ms. Hicks' torso is not rotated, and while her head is partially turned - her eyes have to gaze far laterally in order for her to fixate on the person who's speaking. We don't look directly at people whom we don't like, don't respect, and/or don't believe.
The Communication Director's mid-face is contracted - more specifically, she's flaring her nostrils and displaying tension in the region above her upper lip and below her nose.
Both of Hicks' lips are dynamically thinned - this is subtle and evident more so with her upper lip.
Her mouth opening is foreshortened with the lip margins oriented horizontally.
The contraction of her mentalis muscles (on the front of the mandible) give rise to her chin dimpling - a signal that she's also clenching her jaw. If you look carefully, you'll also notice the concomitant and subtle "sucking-inward" of her each of cheeks.
Note how Ms. Hicks has her left arm across her lower chest/upper abdomen. This amounts to one-half of a full arms-crossed MAP (Manipulator, Adaptor, Pacifier). It's a body language posture which signals low confidence and low emotional comfort. People don't stand like this when they're confident - or when they are giving or receiving good news.
A nuance which may have escaped you is the position of Hope Hick's left hand. It's oriented palm-upward - which amplifies her beta emotional tone. Had her palm been directed downward, it would have been a bit more alpha.
Now look carefully at Ms. Hick's right hand - holding the phone. Notice all her fingers are relatively parallel. This also indicates her emotions, in this moment, are
relatively beta.
Contrast Hope Hicks with Jared Kushner, pictured below. His index finger is held separately and directed
vertically - with the other three fingers
grouped together (roughly perpendicular to the index finger). This configuration is indicative of alpha emotions. Not surprisingly,
this isolated/upward directed index-finger manner of holding a phone
holding is virtually never seen simultaneously with one-arm across the
torso.
