Donald Trump’s inauguration speech was ‘subdued and impactful’ according to a body-language expert, and his many swipes at the Biden administration were ‘softer than usual’
Donald Trump showed a softer side as he was sworn in as the 47th President of the US, a body language expert claims – although he made his thoughts on the outgoing government crystal clear.
Despite laying into the Biden administration, Trump’s slagging off was more mellow than usual, Judi James reckons. The body language expert analysed Trump’s inauguration speech and noted that the famously mouthy man deliberately toned it down for the special occasion.
Speaking to Paddy Power Games, James said: “The power of this speech lay in the way a man known for his showboating, rambling stream-of-consciousness delivery, and overt emotional displays chose instead to play it straight – sincere and restrained.
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She added that Trump’s speech was “strong” and “excoriating at times”, adding: “For Biden and Harris, seated to his left, they must have felt like dragon’s breath as he attacked their administration on every front.
“They were blamed for everything – from the mishandling of emergencies like the LA fires to being part of what he called a radical, corrupt establishment.
“Yet, Trump delivered his scathing remarks in a tone softer than usual. His calm, firm facial expressions matched his disciplined adherence to a script that pulled no punches yet promised a vision of Utopia.”
James noted that during his speech Trump’s head was cocked slightly to the side in a sign of “deep thought”, while the show of his lower teeth was “a display of gritted determination”.
She continued: “At one point, he claimed forces had tried to ‘take my freedom and take my life’, glancing meaningfully at his son, Barron, and his wife, Melania. His emotional displays were subtle and controlled, heightening their impact.
“However, when speaking about the judicial system, his bitterness surfaced – his lips rounding into a familiar open-mouth pout that revealed both upper and lower teeth.”
James added that Trump punctuated key moments with exaggerated enunciation and precise date-stamping to “underscore his unyielding resolve”, and that Trump’s “subdued yet impactful” delivery allowed his audience to “carry the emotional weight of the moment”.