And while the world is
debating whether the president knows or doesn't know the lyrics to the national
anthem, his body language revealed something more: He was nervous. That's
according to nonverbal communication and human behavior expert Patti Wood, who
told Refinery29 that Trump's body language pointed to the fact that he was in a
stressful situation.
"There's
inconsistencies in his behavior throughout the anthem — and it's not a long
song," Wood, who has more than 35 years of experience as a body language
expert, said. "He had two choices: He could be very solemn and still, or
he could be rousing and look up to the crowd, sort of saying: Isn't
this fantastic? This is our national anthem. He didn't do either of
those."
For Wood, Trump's behavior was
the "antithesis" of how he has said people should behave while
"The Star Spangled Banner" plays. First, he broke away from the norm
established by other elected officials, who typically sing the whole anthem.
And then his behavior throughout the song made it seem like he was
uncomfortable.
"For the brief
period that he has his hand over his heart, he's tapping with the tip of his
fingers over his heart. That's highly unusual," she said, adding that the
movement is a comfort cue and generally shows the person is feeling anxious.
She continued, "He's tapping faster than the anthem, which typically
signals a desire to get through it — to get to the other side of the anxious
situation."
Wood also pointed out
that the president was swaying while the anthem played. She said: "That
would be normal if it was a fight song or a rousing song. But there's a
solemnity to the national anthem, so people stand still as a sign of respect
and reverence."
That's certainly
something that we've seen Trump do before.
"He does this normally when he's standing in a situation where nothing is
going on and he is not in control of it," Wood said. "It's a comfort
cue. You see this on children and the elderly."
Though we don't know what
was going on in Trump's mind while the stadium sang "The Star Spangled
Banner," his body cues point out that his anxiety was really taking over.
Wood highlighted that at the beginning Trump seemed unsure of whether the
anthem had begun to play, either because it started differently or he couldn't
hear due to the noise in the stadium.
There's also the chance
he just doesn't know the lyrics. And he's not alone on that front, either.
According to a 2014 Harris Interactive survey, about 61% of American adults don't
know all the words to the anthem. But it's worth pointing out that, unlike
Trump, those people are probably not on a "patriotic" crusade against
those who choose to protest under the protection of the First Amendment.
Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at
www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at
www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
