DONALD Trump displayed a rarely seen side of himself during his first public appearance after surviving Saturday’s assassination attempt, a body language expert said.
The former president took the stage at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Monday, just 48 hours after he was injured in a shooting.
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Trump was shot during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night, with a bullet hitting his ear, leaving his face covered in blood. The security team took him to the ground.
The gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired eight shots, killing one bystander and wounding two others before being “neutralized” by snipers.
Just moments after being hit, Trump made a show of defiance as he stood up, surrounded by security guards, and raised his fist in the air shouting “fight” as he was led away.
However, there was little of this behavior in his first public appearance since the attack, according to body language expert Judi James.
read more about rally shooting
Trump was greeted with cheers and applause as he arrived at the Fiserv Forum, heavily surrounded by security and wearing a bandage over his right ear.
Viewers are used to Trump’s “showing off and strutting,” James explained, but at the RNC event he showed a different side, revealing the emotional toll the attack had on the presidential candidate.
Yet despite this, the former president still exuded an image of “physical strength,” she said.
“He could have made this first appearance in Milwaukee a body language demonstration of the kind of chest-thumping power and alpha strength he performed outside the various courtrooms during his trials, but instead we are shown a much more nuanced look, emotional and sentimental. former president’s response here,” explained James.
“He walks alone with his arms hanging at his sides to register continued physical strength despite the large bandage on his ear.”
The former president remained strangely quiet, choosing not to address the crowd at the event as he arrived for the final hour of speeches.
However, he is expected to take the stage on the fourth day of the convention, on Thursday, as initially planned.
‘SMALL TRACK’
Subtle behavioral tics highlighted the Republican nominee’s inner turmoil, James said after Trump admitted the attempt on his life had “an impact” on him.
“I don’t like to think about it, but yes, I think it has an impact,” Trump78, said ABC Jonathan Karl when asked if the bullet “changed” him.
James noticed a “micro-shudder” Trump made as he entered the convention.
This small detail was “the smallest of clues about the emotional effort required,” the body language expert explained, noting that the former president seemed to be “internally preparing himself.”
“His initial sad expression gives further clues to how touched he seems to feel and when he hears the first applause, his lips close in a smile of recognition while one eyebrow is furrowed to maintain that air of self-reflective and sentimental humor. .”
She added that just 48 hours before his first public appearance, Trump “will have to face the ‘What ifs?’” and “the reality of what could have been.”
Donald Trump’s full statement after the rally shooting
Former President Donald Trump provided an update on Truth Social following the shooting that occurred at his rally in Pennsylvania on July 13.
“I want to thank the United States Secret Service and all law enforcement agencies for their quick response to the shooting that just occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person who died at the rally and also to the family of another person who was seriously injured.
“It is incredible that such an act could happen in our country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who has since passed away.
“I was hit by a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately something was wrong as I heard a buzzing sound, gunshots and immediately felt the bullet tearing through the skin.
“There was a lot of bleeding, then I realized what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”
In a moment that echoed the defining moment of the assassination attempt, where Trump raised his fist in defiance, the same gesture was made with a very different message at the RNC event, James said.
‘SUBTLE’
The image of the shooting “showed him frozen in a moment of blunt, heroic defiance, anger and determination,” she said.
However, in Milwaukee, he showed a “micro-twinkle of fear” with his eyes before raising his fist, “not in a peacock or defiant gesture, but more a look of gratitude to the fans who support him,” noted the specialist.
“We see a rare display of understated modesty from the man who is known for his exhibitionist, strutting style of body language,” she said of the moment Trump joined his tearful family at the event.
The former president’s rare display appeared to show the more emotional and human side that his wife Melania spoke of in a statement after the shooting.
“A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine tried to express Donald’s passion – his laughter, ingenuity, love of music and inspiration,” said the former first lady. he said.
“The central facets of my husband’s life – his human side – were buried beneath the political machine.
“Donald, the generous and caring man I’ve been with through the best of times and the worst of times.”
Security at the RNC event was beefed up after the shooting with barricades, steel fences, armed forces and checkpoints.
Meanwhile, Trump has confirmed his running mate for the presidential election as he shows no signs of slowing down following the shooting.
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