1/ THREAD: Body Language and Behavior Analysis No. 4663: New Trump Salute
#BodyLanguage #BehaviorAnalysis #EmotionalIntelligence #DonaldTrump
#BodyLanguage #BehaviorAnalysis #EmotionalIntelligence #DonaldTrump
2/ The image above was taken last night in Youngstown, Ohio at Trump's rally.
3/ Note many of the audience members have their hands raised with their palm side facing toward the stage — while Trump was speaking.
4/ Their index fingers (forefingers) are extended and their thumb and other digits are retracted.
5/ Crucially, their arms are directed *forwards* at about a 60º angle — they're not pointed straight-upwards.
6/ This is NOT a "We're number one" sign, for those gestures are short-lived, contextual, are almost always pointing straight up (not at a forward angle), and have a jabbing dynamic — moving in concert with the word-chant ("We're number one").
7/ These gestures persisted over extended periods of Trump's speech, not just for a moment or particular event Trump was referencing.
8/ Another important distinction is the angle of their elbows — their elbows are locked at 180º.
9/ With the, 'We're number one' chant-gesture, the elbow angle is typically at about 135º — and crucially, the upper arm (humerus) is almost always directed off to the side (roughly parallel to the transverse [left-right] axis of the torso) — not directed forward as we see here.
10/ SUMMARY: Make no mistake, this is a Passive-Aggressive, truncated form of a Nazi salute — while maintaining some level of plausible deniability.
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11/ This gesture also smacks of a fundamentalist church revival. It makes the audience members feel loyal and worshiping — while it makes Trump feel like a worshipped — like an Authoritarian. This is a Nazi salute behind a thin veneer.
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