Body Language Analysis №4685: Vladimir Putin meets with Chinese Defense Minister, Li Shangfu — Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (Photos)

 

Vladimir Putin met with Chinese Defense Minister, Li Shangfu in Moscow this on Sunday 16 April 2023. Li is China’s Minister of National Defense. New to the office, it was Li’s first trip to another country in this role.

The above image of the meeting between Putin and Li was released by the Kremlin (Photo credit: Pavel Bednyakov). Putin’s body language screams in this moment.

*The corresponding descriptions appear below each of the following images.*

 

Note Putin’s position in his chair while meeting with Li. His buttocks are resting almost halfway forward (relative to backrest, compared with the front edge of the seat). Moreover he’s also leaning 20º-25º forward.

Putin is usually slouching backward (a backward angle to his spine), with his buttocks slightly away from the back of the chair (pictured here with President Biden in 2021). This configuration (along with Putin’s default facial expression) convey aloofness and arrogance.

… or (less often) Putin is usually sitting with his buttocks and back touching the back of his chair (spine relatively vertical, seen where with Donald Trump in July 2018).

…but not on this occasion. When meeting with Li, the body language cluster displayed by Putin (buttocks forward *and* leaning forward), is relatively unusual for him. It’s a strong indication that Putin needs/wants something.

Now look at Putin’s feet. Both of his feet are tilted inward (excessively pronated) to such a degree that the lateral aspect (outer portion) of each foot is elevated off the floor. This is extremely unusual for Putin, particularly on home soil.

Hyper-pronate your own feet in a manner similar to Putin’s right now. What does this do to the relative position of your knees? It moves the knees closer together — as are Putin’s (along with the adjacent portions of the upper and lower legs).

In both of the other examples shown above (Putin with Biden and Trump, respectively), Putin is sitting with his legs splayed wide (colloquially known as “Manspreading” — signaling dominance/hyper-dominance and/or masculinity). But not with Li.

Close your eyes. What effect does Putin’s specific leg-knee-foot configuration (as he is doing while meeting with the Chinese Defense Minister) have on your emotional state? Answer: It makes people feel lower confidence, unsure, and anxious. Knock-kneed and elevated outer edges of the feet = beta.

This leg-knee-foot cluster is profoundly telling. It’s highly indicative of a person feeling subordinate emotions. That this particular nonverbal signal cluster is being displayed by Putin toward Li Shangfu — especially while in the Kremlin, is simply staggering.

Now look at Li Shangfu. He’s also sitting with his buttocks forward his chair — but he’s *not* leaning forward. Li’s back is straight. His eyes, head, shoulders, arms, chest, abdomen, hips, and legs are all pointing toward Putin.

Li’s body language is not hyper-alpha, nor is it projecting low confidence. Li is not acquiescing. Li is engaged and respectful in this moment. Li doesn’t need Putin (Russia). Putin needs Li (China).

Putin’s head, shoulders, arms, chest, abdomen, hips (and even his chair) are not pointing toward Li — rather they’re pointing straight ahead. Putin’s feet, however, while not fully directed toward Li, are partially turned to the Chinese Defense Minister.

Note that Li’s feet are flexed. He’s up on his toes, with his knees bent (legs flexed) approximately 40º backward, past the perpendicular.

Li is alert and engaged with mild anxiety (normal for context). Li is not hyper-confident or arrogant but also he’s not in a mental/emotional mindset of weakness. Li (China) doesn’t need Putin (Russia).

Note the position of Putin’s and Li’s eyes. We have a poor angle/view of Putin’s eyes, but because his head is facing forward (relative to his body, not directed at Li), it necessitates Putin’s eyes to gaze somewhat laterally in order to look at Li Shangfu.

Since Li is ‘full body pointing’ at Putin, Li’s eyes don’t have to turn laterally in order to look at the Russian President.

Putin’s centrally-placed right (dominant) hand on top of his left hand is another attempt at looking calm, controlled, and in-charge — however, it’s actually an analog form of an elevated fig-leaf (indicating his mental-emotional vulnerability and relative weakness).

Putin is trying to ‘play it cool’ *above the table*. He’s trying to not look too needy — but we can see by the configuration of his lower body (particularly his feet and knees) that Putin is quite anxious about the ramifications of this meeting. Putin is off his game.

Li’s body language, in this moment, is quite typical of what we would expect from an engaged, alert, mildly anxious, *but not needy* government official in discussions with a head-of-state in a foreign capital (normal, given the context).

Note also Li’s statement regarding the meeting: “China is willing to work with Russia to make new contributions to the maintenance of world and regional security and stability”.

The components of Li’s multiple paralanguage tells are also quite noteworthy, nebulous, placating statement, and its non-committal language:

• “willing to work with” — is anything but an enthusiastic commitment or full-partnership.

• “to make new contributions to” — is classic ambiguous language. Li’s language is hedging.

• “the maintenance of” — Translation: “China is not going to improve Russia’s military situation or add anything directly to the equation — we’ll just maintain our relationship/maintain our current status”.

• “regional” — China does not consider Ukraine to be in its “region”.

• “security and stability” — Starting the largest war in Europe since WWII doesn’t equate to “stability”. Depleting one’s military whilst provoking growth of NATO does not enhance Russia’s “security”.

SUMMARY: Putin’s body language in this image indicates his low confidence, subordinate mental-emotional tone, his unsureness, and anxiety. He’s asking and feeling vulnerable and beta while meeting with Li Shangfu.

That Putin felt this soup of emotions while meeting with the Chinese Minister of Defense is highly telling of his vulnerability. Moreover, this meeting is on Russian soil — in the Kremlin. Red lights flashing, sirens blaring.

Putin does not think-believe (and feels vulnerable) that China will not enhance, in any meaningful way, Russia’s military or (from Putin’s POV) positively influence Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Li Shangfu was not sent to Moscow to give Russia weapons — only to maintain the current China-Russia status-quo.

Are you/your company/your organization interested in learning Body Language and using it to improve your personal and/or professional life — via one-on-one lessons, in-person lectures, or online group Zoom teaching? Email me (Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com).

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This post and other accompanying it, serve as a reference source for the art and science of Body Language/Nonverbal Communication. The views and opinions expressed on this website are those of the author. In an effort to be both practical and academic, many examples from/of varied cultures, politicians, professional athletes, legal cases, public figures, etc., are cited in order to teach and illustrate both the interpretation of others’ body language as well as the projection of one’s own nonverbal skills in many different contexts.

Body Language Analysis №4678: Joe Tacopina — Trump’s Newest Attorney —Eyes Wide Open

 

Trump’s newest attorney, Joe Tacopina, recently made the rounds on multiple national news networks. The video above, from MSNBC, includes an interview with Ari Melber.

Unlike most of my analyses, this one is written largely, but not entirely, from a differential diagnostic/teaching point-of-view (using the Socratic method).

The descriptions are included below the corresponding images.

Trigger Warning: This post also includes references to and images of cult leaders responsible for deaths and mass-suicides — as well as a mass-murderer.

 

One particular nonverbal display Mr. Tacopina displayed prominently (although, crucially, not continuously) during this interview was that both of his upper eyelids were frequently opened widely.

Taken in isolation, when both eyelids are widely opened, it should bring to mind the following possible thought-emotions/causes:

• Surprise
• Emotional Shock/Emotional Processing
• Rage (Extreme Anger)
• Fear
• Drugs (Stimulants)
• Psychosis (some, but not all examples Psychoses)
• Melodrama/Deliberate Hyperbole (i.e., Over-acting, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”)
• Side-effect of Forehead Botox (rare to unusual)
• Medical Conditions (i.e., Thyroid Eye Disease, Parinaud’s syndrome, Rare lesions of the midbrain, etc.)

 

 

Surprise is a very short-lived thought-emotion (literally lasting only a second or two, no more) while Emotional Processing/Emotional Shock lasts a much longer time. Can you differentiate these two nonverbal displays? (Christine Lagarde, above, is displaying true surprise)

Is the behavior Mr. Tacopina displaying indicative of Surprise? Why/why not? Is the behavior of Mr. Tacopina displaying Emotional Processing/Emotional Shock? Why/why not?

Stimulants can also be a possible cause of frequent bilateral widely opened eyelids. What are some other behaviors/findings you would typically see in a person who is using stimulants?

What about Melodrama/Hyperbolic behavior? Never forget: Acting is a form of lying, but with consent of the audience — while lying is acting without the audience’s consent.

 

Thus, most everyone over-acts (melodrama) whilst lying — but only a relatively small percentage will under-act (i.e., displaying a blunted affect relative to any given situation), (Nikki Haley, above, captured in a Hyperbolic moment).

This behavioral axiom is particularly telling during confrontations, testimonies, on-camera scenarios, etc. — when the accused/suspected person is in the limelight.

Therefore, when a person is behaving melodramatically, there’s a high to very high-likelihood that they’re also lying.

 

Bilateral and frequently elevated upper eyelids (as well as sometimes retracted lower eyelids) are also possible indications of fear. Is Tacopina exhibiting other signs of possible fear? If so, what? (Putin, above, is exhibiting Fear and Emotional Shock)

Are there other signs of possible rage (extreme anger) present? Intriguingly, although mild and moderate levels of anger are associated with partial closure of one’s eyelids, when anger escalates to high levels, the eyelids will open widely.

 

Mike Shanahan (circa 2010) amidst a moment of moderate anger crescendoing to rage.

While some individuals with Psychosis have bilateral widely opened eyelids, not all people with psychosis exhibit this finding.

*Trigger Warning for next three posts (18 through 20)*

 

Examples of Psychotic individuals exhibiting bilateral widely-opened eyelids include Marshall Applewhite (Heaven’s Gate Cult and associated mass suicide), …

 

…Adam Lanza (Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre), …

 

… and Charles Manson.

Occasionally (unusual, but not rare), people with moderate to heavy Botox treatments to their forehead will have the secondary side effect of eyelids that open much too wide than is their intention. Has Tacopina had relatively recent Botox injections in his forehead?

 

Callista Gingrich’s widely opened eyelids in this image are secondary to excessive Botox in her forehead.

Which of the above causes of bilateral eyelid retraction are also associated with diminished impulse control? (i.e., reaching across Ari Melber’s desk and repeatedly invading Melber’s personal space [intimate space] whilst trying to grab a document/notes out of his hand)? i.e., here during 7:06…,

 

… and here during 7:10 …

 

… and yet another invasion into Melber’s personal space (intimate space) during 9:44.

Thyroid eye disease can also result in bilateral eyelid retraction (as well as eyeballs [globes] which are pushed forward/”stick out” (aka proptosis or exophthalmos). The above image is a patient with both proptosis and extreme bilateral eyelid retraction.

Although medical testing would be required to rule this out, Tacopina does not have the appearance typical of Thyroid Eye Disease.

Also, we would expect eyelid retraction associated with Thyroid Eye Disease to be persistent, not intermittent — and behaviorally linked.

There are other (much rarer) causes of eyelid retraction, i.e., certain lesions of midbrain, such as Parinaud’s syndrome.

 

Parinaud’s syndrome can be ruled-out in Tacopina’s case, given his ability to also gaze upward. A key feature of Parinaud’s Syndrome is a paralysis of upwards gaze seen here in another interview given the same day.

Another notable behavior exhibited by Mr. Tacopina was his frequent use of ad hominem attacks against Michael Cohen.

At the very least, those who use disparaging verbal language are signaling that their arguments are weak (or non-existent). Ad hominem language is also a behavior of those who are perpetrating deception.

Moreover, Tacopina denies what was obviously and factually-proven lie committed by Donald Trump — saying it wasn’t a lie because it wasn’t done under oath (i.e., Perjury. Of course, the vast majority of lying is not done under-oath).

This Lying vs. Perjury distinction is Law School and Human Behavior 101 material — so fundamental and profound, that virtually every adult should have (along with Melber) caught it as they watched this interview.

Why is an experienced attorney, being interviewed on a major network, whose client is the former President of the United States, so blatantly misrepresenting basic law, psychology, and common sense?

Early in Ari Melber’s interview, Melber asks Tacopina, “Is Stormy Daniels a lawyer?” — Tacopina then asks the exact same question back to Melber, “Is Stormy Daniels a lawyer?”, Melber answers, “Yeah.”

Tacopina repeats a truncated version of the question again, “A lawyer?” — Melber re-asks, “Yeah. Is Stormy Daniels a Lawyer?”

Tacopina then says, “I thought you asking [sic] if she’s a liar. Is she a lawyer? I, I [stuttering and pausing] don’t think she’s a lawyer. I don’t think her lawyer was a lawyer [chuckling/feigned laughing]. But, ah, Stormy Daniels is not a lawyer.”

 

Note as Tacopina says, “liar” (during 0:28) “I thought you asking [sic] if she’s a liar”), Tacopina makes the following expression (please watch the video, as it’s impossible to capture the dynamics in a still image).

This is an example of a Rationalization Rapport Empathy Expression (R2E2). A Rationalization Rapport Empathy Expression is displayed by everyone from time-to-time.

However, those who display the R2E2 often or at crucial moments are trying to rationalize their behavior (and/or trying to gain your support in co-rationalizing). They’re also trying to build rapport with you and gain your empathy for their situation, opinion, or plan.

R2E2 can look a lot like disgust or contempt (Can you tell the difference?).

When you see an R2E2 displayed, always ask yourself, “Why is this person trying so hard to gain my rapport and empathy? Why do they want me as a co-rationalizer? Are they displaying this behavior too frequently?

Ryan Goodman (Chaired Professor NYU Law, Former Special Counsel Dept of Defense, Former Chaired Professor Harvard Law, etc.) tweeted yesterday, “Joe Tacopina has had an attorney-client relationship with Stormy Daniels.”

Here is the link to Ryan Goodman’s tweet https://twitter.com/rgoodlaw/status/1636737103370285062 

…and here is Goodman’s screenshot of a transcript of crucial exchange between Tacopina and Don Lemon during an exchange on CNN in 2018:

The reason Tacopina asked, re-asked, and re-asked again the above-noted question, stuttered, chuckled/feigned laughter, and displayed an R2E2 expression is because all of the following (over-lapping reasons) are true:

A. The question caught him off guard

B. He was stalling for time

C. The question gave him significant anxiety

D. Tacopina had an attorney-client relationship with Stormy Daniels

E. Tacopina knows he cannot represent Trump in any case relating to Stormy Daniels

E. Tacopina knows that he’s not being forthright.

F. Moreover, Tacopina’s statement, “I thought you asking [sic] if she’s a liar (referring to Stormy Daniels) is a form of projection/Freudian Slip — for Tacopina committed a lie of omission by not telling Ari Melber, the audience, (and possibly Trump) that he, in fact by his own description, had an Attorney-client relationship with Ms. Daniels.

 

SUMMARY: Joe Tacopina’s eyelids were opened widely and frequently during this interview.

Whenever you see a person frequently displaying bilaterally, widely opened (upper) eyelids, it should bring to mind the following possible thought-emotions/causes:

• Surprise

• Emotional Shock/Emotional Processing

• Rage (Extreme Anger)

• Fear

• Drugs (Stimulants)

• Psychosis

• Melodrama/Deliberate Hyperbole (thus possible deception)

• Side-effect of Forehead Botox

• Medical Conditions

Joe Tacopina’s repeated ad hominem attacks demonstrate his belief that his client, Donald Trump, has a weak defense.

Joe Tacopina is claiming Trump did not lie because it’s not “material, under oath, in a proceeding”. Tacopina is ethically wrong — and factually and legally incorrect.

In this interview, Joe Tacopina exhibited significantly diminished impulse control. Why?

Joe Tacopina, by his own admission, had a previous attorney-client relationship with Stormy Daniels and thus cannot represent Donald Trump in any manner related to her.

Did Joe Tacopina ever reveal to Donald Trump that he had had an attorney-client relationship with Stormy Daniels? If so, did this reveal occur prior to or since Tacopina taking Trump on as his client?

Did Donald Trump knowingly retain, or has he continued to keep Joe Tacopina as his attorney, in an effort to gain knowledge, evidence, and privileged insight to what he otherwise would not have access?

All professionals interested in learning Body Language, please email (Jack@BodyLanguageSuccess.com) or DM me — esp. attorneys, judges, actors, directors, those in crisis management, C-level executives, sales professionals, teachers, parents, and health care professionals.

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Body Language Analysis No. 4401 Nancy Pelosi's and Donald Trump's 'Meltdown Meeting' — Nonverbal and Emotional Intelligence (PHOTOS)

When a person has little or no empathy — and/or when they're far from their emotional baseline, their ability to interpret how others will view an event becomes dramatically distorted. Rarely has this behavioral axiom been better exemplified than last Wednesday at the White House. President Trump and members of his cabinet met with congressional leaders to discuss Turkey, Syria, and the Kurdish people.

After Donald Trump engaged in ad hominem attacks toward Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer left the meeting. After the meeting, Donald Trump tweeted out the above image which will no doubt become historic.

The photo quickly went viral. And the collective Body Language was profoundly telling — just not in the way Donald Trump believed it to be. It backfired on the President in ways that cannot begin to be quantified.

What follows is a detailed nonverbal analysis of this now-famous photo, with multiple cropped close-ups.

Notice President Trump's orientation to both Speaker Pelosi and the table. Both his chair and Trump's torso are leaning away from Pelosi. For him, this configuration is highly unusual. Trump's almost always leaning forward — whether he's seated or standing.

Moreover, the President's hands are hidden beneath the table. This too is not at all Trump's normal behavior. When he's seated at table or a desk, his hands are most often on its surface — otherwise, they're folded across his chest. What we see here is rare for Trump. Hiding one's hands is a red flag for withdrawal, a need for protection, a hidden agenda, and dishonesty.

Donald Trump's medial (inner) eyebrows are vectored downward. The expression on his face is an amalgam of both anger and fear. Donald Trump's body language is projecting a significantly beta and protective emotional tone. He's fearful and withdrawing while telegraphing significant dishonesty.

Look back at the full picture. Notice how Trump repositioned his glass forward on the table? He frequently does this with any objects placed in front of him. This is a manifestation of narcissistic personality disorder. Narcissists routinely force themselves into others' personal spaces and take up more room in common spaces.

In contrast, Nancy Pelosi's body language is hyper-alpha. She's not only standing up — she's the only one standing. Pelosi's whole body is leaning forward — her thighs against the table.

Nancy Pelosi is pointing with her most powerful finger (the index finger aka forefinger) on her dominant hand. Her arm is moderately extended — again, over the table. The remainder of her fingers and her thumb are retracted (amplifying the finger's power). Speaker Pelosi is pointing just over the head of President Trump, seated directly across the table from her. Pelosi's eyebrows and her forehead are elevated. While it is expressing emphasis, her face is not conveying significant anger, nor does she have an expression indicative of yelling/high volume in this moment.

Later that day, Speaker Pelosi recounted what she had been saying to the President when this image was captured: "With you, all roads lead to Putin".

On Trump's side of the table, nearly everyone is either sitting away from the table or looking downward with their hands clasped (frustration and beta). We also see a Gestalt theme, with multiple hands being hidden.

Three out of five of the men sitting to Trump's right have their head, neck, and torsos bending forward. Quite notably, NONE of these three men are looking up. This is consistent with shame, sadness, and/or deception.

Immediately to Trump's right is General Mark Milley — the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Along with his head, neck, and torso leaning forward — his jaw is clenched, which is signaling an adrenaline surge. He's not only looking down, but his eyebrows are also dramatically lowered. His lips are thinned (anger). The corner of his mouth is angled downward (indicating regret and/or sadness). His fingers are tightly intertwined (frustration).

To General Milley's right is Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell. His torso is leaning backward, away from the table, although his hands appear to be on the table and intertwined or clasped (view mostly occluded). McConnell's face is not visible.

Seated to Senator McConnell's right is Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan. He's also leaning forward, looking down. His hands are clasped. His mouth is foreshortened with the left corner turned downward (Sadness, Regret).

To John Sullivan's right is House Minority Whip, Steve Scalise (R-LA). He's leaning far forward (particularly his head and neck), and looking down and appears to be writing.

The man seated to Scalise's right is White House counsel Pat Cipollone (to Trump's far-right, at the end of the table). He's sitting back with his torso away from the table. Although our view of him is limited, his arms appear to be crossed (defensive, close-minded, protective) and he seems to be looking at Nancy Pelosi.

Immediately to Trump's left is Defense Secretary Mark Esper. His torso, neck, and head are upright — the only person on Trump's side of the table with a semi-engaged posture. However, his hands are clasped. Esper's behavior, both here and at other times he's appeared in photos or speaking, is significantly robotic. Behaviorally, he strives to live in the middle of the Bell curve. He avoids extremes. Mark Esper is hyper-contained and prides himself on this characteristic. Esper's jaw is clenched too — but not nearly as tight as General Milley's.

To Esper's left is House Minority Leader, Kevin McCarthy. He was captured during an extended blink in this photo. His eyebrows are mildly lowered, however, his forehead is mildly elevated (this opposite direction dynamic of these two adjacent tissues is a red flag). His torso is also leaning backward - pulled away from the desk in another variation of non-engagement. Intriguingly, McCarthy's hands are mostly hidden too — with his fingers beneath the table, with his thumbs hooked on its surface — whilst he appears to be pushing back, away from the table. His mouth is mildly regretful. McCarthy is blocking Trump's behavior. He is trying to tolerate the situation in which he finds himself. He's mentally pushing back. He does NOT want to be there.

Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury Secretary, is seated to McCarthy's left. Like Trump, he's also positioned his hands beneath the table. This is a troublesome configuration for anyone in authority to adopt during a meeting. Barring a physical condition, individuals who sit with their hands beneath the table in such scenarios are very often hiding something. It's deception tell — particularly if a question is asked, and, as they answer verbally, their hands retract into hiding.

At the far end of the table — and slightly on Pelosi's half, is White House legislative affairs director Eric Ueland. His eyes are also closed. It's statistically unlikely that both he and Kevin McCarthy would be both naturally caught blinking. Thus, this blinking is behavioral and of longer duration. They are blocking and distancing themselves from the situation.

Note Eric Ueland's hands are also beneath the table — leaning backward with his torso, withdrawn from the table. It's intriguing that Mr. Ueland, who has a relative power seat (at the end of a long table, away from the door), has chosen to orient himself on Speaker Pelosi's side of the table rather than on Trump's hemisphere of the room.

To Eric Ueland's right (closer to Pelosi) are Representatives Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), Liz Cheney (R-WY), and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ). Although Ms. Cheney's and Mr. Menendez's face are partially occluded, it's clear that all three of these House members have their hands to their mouths. This hand-to-mouth dynamic is a common body language configuration to adopt when one is witnessing an argument — but not directly participating in it. These two Democrats and one Republican are nonverbally in a state of emotional processing — in cognitive-emotional dissonance. Their intellectual brains are aware of a dramatic confrontation — while their emotional brains are trying to fully process its ramifications. This hand-to-mouth signal also conveys our desire to see a person (who's getting over-emotional) calm their temper.

It's also quite notable that Engel, Cheney, and Menedez all have at least one of their respective arms/elbows/hands on top of — not beneath the table. This signals more engagement and honesty compared with people whose hands are beneath the table (conveying withdraw, need for protection, hidden agenda, and dishonesty).

Seated immediately to Speaker Pelosi's left is House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer. He is the only Democrat in this image sitting back from the table. His eyelids are also closed (third person in this photo) — probably also in the midst of an extended blink. Again, desiring to psychologically block the behavior of the President.

Immediately to Nancy Pelosi's right is Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. Senator Schumer is leaning forward and also looking down. Although he's possibly reading the document in front of him, it's much more likely that he doesn't want to look at the President shouting. Both of Schumer's arms are on the table (engaged).

Jack Reed (D-RI) is seated to Schumer's right. Like Reps. Engel, Cheney, and Menedez — Reed also has both arms on top of the table (more engaged) but with one hand to his mouth (again, in this context, it's a signal of both emotional processing and a desire for calm tempers/dialog/discussion — rather than anger/yelling/ad hominem attacks).

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) is not only leaning back in his chair (disengaged) with his hands and arms beneath the table (hiding, like a turtle who is pulled into his shell) — but his hands are in a seated fig-leaf configuration. A fig-leaf (whether used seated or standing) conveys significant beta mindset, vulnerability, and a need for protection.

Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), seated in the lower left corner of the image (blurred, closest to the camera) has an expression combination of disgust, a suppressed smile, and impatience. He's leaning forward and it appears he has both hands on the table with his fingers intertwined (frustrated). 

SUMMARY: The body language is profound in this image. Most of the Republicans in the room — including President Trump have hyper-beta emotional tones. They're withdrawn, protective, projecting a hidden agenda, and suggesting dishonest intent.

General Mark Milley, whose political beliefs are not publicly known, bears special attention. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is feeling a combination of anger, shame, frustration, regret, and sadness.

In contrast, most of the Democrats in the room are engaged and in disbelief at the President's behavior. With the exception of Nancy Pelosi, they're not hyper-alpha but alpha/assertive in their mindsets.

Nancy Pelosi is hyper-alpha, although not hyper-angry, in this moment. If we suddenly developed amnesia and we weren't aware of their relative elected positions of power, we would think that Nancy Pelosi was indeed the President — and that Trump was in the midst of being fired.

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Post Script: A friend of mine who's a real estate professional was recently assaulted. She was showing a house to a man and she misinterpreted nonverbal warning signs. At her behest, I'm reducing my Body Language teaching fee by 67% for any individual or Real Estate company who's interested. These can be conducted on-site, or remotely via video chat. Please email me for more information.

See also:

Body Language Analysis No. 4400: Trump speaks with First All-Female Astronaut Spacewalk 

Body Language Analysis No. 4399: Donald Trump — Stalling, Protection, Deception, Contempt 

Body Language Analysis No. 4398: Mohammed bin Salman regarding the Murder of Jamal Khashoggi ("60 Minutes" Interview) 

Body Language Analysis No. 4397: Donald Trump Defends Himself Against The Whistleblower

Body Language Analysis No. 4396: Brett Kavanaugh's Confirmation Hearing — Reading Between the Lines

Body Language Analysis No. 4395: Mike Pompeo - "Just the Past Ten Days Alone, We've Killed Over a Thousand Taliban"

Body Language Analysis No. 4394: Donald Trump, "I am The Chosen One"

Body Language Analysis No. 4393: El Paso Mass Shooter - Using Body Language as a Threat Assessment Tool

Body Language Analysis No. 4360: GE's CEO Larry Culp's CNBC Interview and Subsequent Stock Sell-off

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