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By Joe Navarro | Politico
I’m sure I wasn’t the only American to hit the mute button on the presidential debate last night. But unlike many of you, I didn’t silence the back-and-forth between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump because I wanted to tune them out. I did it because I wanted to understand them better.
For over 50 years, 25 of them as an FBI agent, I’ve been studying the endlessly fascinating nuances of nonverbal communication. I’ve found that words, especially those of politicians, too easily twist the truth. But body language doesn’t lie. So I started the debate with the sound off to see what the two contenders were really thinking and feeling.
Reader, let me tell you: They were thinking and feeling quite a lot that they left unsaid.
You may not have learned much that you didn’t already know about Trump and Biden during the debate. But decoding their body language offers invaluable insights to get to know them better that you didn’t hear in their speeches. Here’s everything I noticed on the stage:
Biden’s Age Was Clear From the First Step He Took Onstage
A handshake on a debate stage communicates mutual respect — if not between the candidates, then at least for the Americans watching at home. It has been a tradition as far back as I can remember. But with all the baggage between Trump and Biden, the lack of a handshake didn’t surprise me. It was a nonverbal sign that this election will be every bit as divisive as many voters feared it would be.
