Maybe practice doesn’t make perfect after all.
After five Republican presidential debates, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis still can’t crack a genuine smile — but he’s naturally beaming when he goes on the offensive, as he often did in Wednesday’s showdown with former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, a linguist body Chris Ulrich told The Post.
Narrowed down to just two candidates — because former President Donald Trump again declined to participate — viewers of the final GOP debate before the Iowa caucuses took a closer look at DeSantis and Haley’s strengths, weaknesses and specialties.
“Because the dynamic is now just the two of them, the camera is more laser-focused on them,” Ulrich said. “We will look at their weaknesses.
For DeSantis, that means more shots of her frowning smile, which Ulrich explains looks forced because her cheekbones and eyes don’t meet her mouth. But it also means he can focus his attack, delivering a “very strong” hit to Haley.
“The only time I think he ever really smiled was when he attacked,” he said. “We saw a genuine smile when he grabbed it because he got a standing ovation for it. And they hit – the attack worked.”
A body language expert analyzed how Governor Ron DeSantis and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley acted during Wednesday night’s Republican presidential debate. Ron Haviv/VII/Redux Ulrich said DeSantis looked calmer but repeated many of the previous body language mistakes seen in previous fights. AP
For example, Ulrich said DeSantis seemed confident and natural when delivering one of his strongest attacks on Haley of the night: “You can take the ambassador out of the United Nations, but you can’t take the UN out as our ambassador.”
“That was a very powerful and effective moment for him to use an open gesture,” Ulrich said. “And after he delivered it, he had an air of arrogance — a sort of contempt.”
Five debates, DeSantis looked more composed but repeated many of the previous body language mistakes seen in previous fights.
“The disability was consistent for DeSantis that he became nervous, anxious, didn’t know what to do,” Ulrich said. “His body can sometimes undermine the importance of his message and he can’t smile when he’s attacked.”
Haley’s facial expressions can be seen in different ways depending on whether you support or oppose the former South Carolina governor. Getty Images
Meanwhile, Haley spent many nights with a smile. It started almost at the beginning, first appearing after DeSantis’ delivered his first attack calling him a “mouthpiece” in his opening remarks.
The second-choice candidate in the GOP race behind Trump, Haley has surged in previous debates. However, with the new stage set-up putting her a good distance away from her opponent, Ulrich said Haley may have been thrown off her game.
“We see body language that we’ve never seen before [from her] like in other debates – maybe because there’s only one other candidate on stage, maybe because he doesn’t have an answer to some of these attacks,” said Ulrich.
“We saw more explosive body language, more smiles, more body language that undermined the gravitas that he had built up in previous debates,” he added.
Ulrich said DeSantis has a “forced smile” because his cheekbones and eyes don’t meet his mouth. AP The former South Carolina governor appeared less empathetic than in previous debates — a trait that sets him apart from other Republican presidential candidates. Reuters
While some of DeSantis’ jabs got under his skin, Haley’s frustrated facial expression was likely different for his supporters and undecideds, Ulrich said.
“If you like Haley, you look at that smile and you’re like, ‘Yeah, she’s condescending. She’s trying to undermine her as a candidate,'” he said. “If you’re on the fence, you’re like, ‘Wow, she looks distracted and putting things off. this.”
What’s more, the former South Carolina governor appeared less empathetic than in previous debates – a trait that sets him apart from his fellow Republican presidential hopefuls. But part of that could be that this is their fifth debate in as many months, Ulright said.
“Think about it: when we look at presidential candidates, we look at ‘is this person competent?’ ‘Can they handle the attack?’ ‘Are they likable and can they empathize with us? Ulrich said. “In another debate, he showed empathy on the abortion issue – but all the answers are worn out now.”
DeSantis’ palms are pointed up as he speaks during the fifth Republican presidential debate on January 10, 2024. AFP via Getty Images DeSantis and Haley take drinks from their cups in different ways during a commercial break in Wednesday’s debate at Drake University. AP
Overall, Ulrich said that neither candidate really won the debate – at least in terms of body language – as both looked well polished compared to their first appearance – which is to be expected given all their debate experience.
“We’re seeing more polished politicians than when there were eight people on stage,” Ulrich said. “Both show strength at times, but there are moments of weakness.”
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
