JD Vance showed “gentle, charming confidence” in his vice presidential debate with the “human and flawed” Tim Walz, a body language expert said.
Judi James told DailyMail.com that the debate could be summed up at the end, when Vance and Walz attempted to shake hands in a “very polite battle for power and status.”
He said Vance approached Walz and made a “hand gesture to register great force.”
This contrasted with the presidential debate, where James said Kamala Harris “took the lead before the debate even began with her assertive handshake with Donald Trump.”
“Power pats by political leadership become a competition to see who can appear most in charge by getting the biggest pat or the last pat,” James said.
JD Vance showed “gentle, charming confidence” in his vice presidential debate with the “human and flawed” Tim Walz, a body language expert said.
She described Vance as having an easy charm, while Walz often appeared to wave his hands and point at the camera, as if he were attacking voters.
Vance took advantage by patting Walz on the arm before Walz did the same in return, in an attempt to laugh.
James echoed what many on social media saw as a refreshing genius for the debate, citing the moment when Vance laughed knowingly at Walz’s admission that he could “mouth trash” like Trump.
“The split screen showed moments in which the men nodded their heads and Vance verbally picked points on which they would agree,” James said.
He added that during the debate, which became “warmer and friendlier” as time went on, Vance often created moments of community between himself and Walz.
“Phrases like ‘Tim and I’ came out of Vance’s mouth and ‘like Tim said…’ to make this a gentlemanly debate despite the strange moments in which they came face to face,” he added.
James had high praise for the Hillbilly Elegy author and Ohio senator, who seemed refined and had an easy charm.
“It was Vance who had the charisma here, projecting a calm, charming confidence that was smooth enough to have come from a Brylcreem ad.”
He even noted similarities between Vance and Vice President Harris during his fight with Trump.
Judi James told DailyMail.com that the debate could be summed up at the end, when Vance and Walz attempted to shake hands in a “very polite battle for power and status.”
“A slight smile never left his face and he adopted Harris’s technique of observing his split-screen opponent with a sense of what seemed mild amusement before looking at the camera with frequent non-verbal detours,” he said.
She was also struck by how Vance talked about his wife and children and his use of the word “beautiful.”
But essentially, his body language was able to take the debate where he wanted it to go against Walz.
The British body language expert has closely studied public encounters for decades.
‘He directed and led the points although he also dodged direct questions several times. “The expression in his eyes was calm, while Walz’s eyes seemed surprised and his voice sounded nervous and breathless at times,” James said.
In contrast, James believes that Walz took too long to feel comfortable with himself during the debate and did not do so until his closing remarks, when he was “freshly dusted.”
He cited her attempts to nominate Taylor Swift, a “politician of joy” and an almost “hippie” optimism that showed a candidate much less nervous than what she saw at the top of the show.
However, at the beginning of the contest, Walz’s movements “suggested agitation, a frown, a fixed expression in his eyes, and pleading gestures with his hands.”
She also had her mouth “closed” and looked unhappy as he wrote furiously in his notes, which Donald Trump mocked throughout the debate.
“A slight smile never left (Vance’s) face and he adopted Harris’s technique of observing his split-screen opponent with a sense of what seemed mild amusement before looking at the camera with frequent non-verbal detours,” he said. . saying
James was also captivated by the way Vance talked about his wife and children and his use of the word “beautiful.”
James criticized the Minnesota governor for pointing and staring at the camera, as if he were “angrily attacking voters.”
Ultimately, despite your preference for Vance, it may depend on where voters stand on the issues to determine who won.
“The winner of this debate would have been Vance on technique and technical points, but much would depend on the taste of the voters, whether they would be attracted to his quiet charm or whether they would prefer Walz’s raw passion.”
The two vice presidential hopefuls argued about abortion, immigration and the economy.
They also criticized each other for different foreign policy approaches, as the Middle East is on the brink of all-out war after Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel.
Hosts Norah O’Donnell and Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan were accused of being biased after cutting off Vance’s microphone when he responded to a fact check about his claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio.
Megyn Kelly led the fury by posting ‘How dare you! at X on a night where Vance had a strong performance and Walz got off to a shaky start.
That prompted an angry response from Trump’s running mate, who responded and then had his microphone cut off, sparking outrage from viewers who accused CBS of “bias.”
James believes Walz took too long to feel comfortable with himself during the debate and didn’t get around to it until his closing remarks, when he was “freshly dusted.”
The two vice presidential hopefuls clashed over abortion, immigration and the economy.
Walz, 60, also revealed that his own 17-year-old son witnessed a shooting at a school community center, in a heartbreaking story about gun violence across the country.
It sparked a rare moment of consensus on behalf of both candidates, who agreed that schools should be safe havens for American children.
And social media users swooned over Vance’s “beautiful blue eyes” as he addressed questions posed by the moderators.
Neither candidate plans to debate again, leaving this potentially the last such event as Donald Trump declines to debate Kamala Harris for a second time before the Nov. 5 election.