Body language spoke louder than words last night.
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.
Biden entered the room first, and his stiff walk, with a short, narrow stride, immediately showed his age. Contrary to what they say online, that’s not necessarily a cataclysmic sign of mental decline. But as we age, we lose a lot of the nerves that help us keep our balance.
Want to read more stories like this? POLITICO Weekend delivers gripping reads, smart analysis and a bit of high-minded fun every Friday.I often say that body language speaks volumes, but Biden’s volume was full of blank pages. Sure, it might be because he wanted to be respectful and listen intently. But it could also be because, as we age, our gestures become more economical. Biden’s nonverbal communication did nothing to counter the narrative that his age is catching up to him.
With Trump, the eyelid flutter was less an expression of inward frustration than outward disdain. He looked like Jack Nicholson’s character inOverall, Trump has the most expressive eyes — but not in a good way. When he hears something he doesn’t like, his eyelids come down hard and linger in a downcast position. The fifth cranial nerve innervates the eyelids, and we subconsciously force them closed to put pressure on the eyeball and the eyelids themselves.
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