A body language expert revealed on Tuesday what was really going on in a video message from Kamala Harris that sparked a firestorm of concern after it was shared with supporters this week.
While many viewers were taken aback by Harris’ seemingly sloppy speech, with some saying the vice president appeared drunk as she thanked supporters for their efforts three weeks after her crushing election loss, body language analyst Judi James had a very different opinion.
James said the video clearly showed Harris’ great difficulty in expressing honest human emotions.
“This is a very elaborate speech that combines Harris’ talent for the word salad with her signature body language rituals that try to convince you that you are listening to extremely deep, motivational thoughts and messages,” the expert said after watching the video.
Online commenters likened the veep delivery to a “drunk aunt on Thanksgiving” and posted memes, including one with a liquor bottle and another with Harris looking disheveled and smoking a cigar.
At one point in the video, Harris audibly hiccups while speaking, further fueling that idea.
But James did not reach the same conclusion, instead suggesting that Harris almost strove to show emotion about the loss and empathy for her supporters.
“Her gestures are largely limp, including the wiggling finger, which implies a weaker impression than her words,” James said.
The vice president’s comments marked the first time Harris addressed her supporters since she delivered her concession speech the afternoon after the Nov. 5 election, in which she vowed to continue the fight.
Kamala Harris addresses supporters of her failed campaign in a video
Harris was trying to convey a more cheerful tone in the video, when James noticed she started speaking with a “very playful greeting smile.”
“She purses her lips around the smile and talks through her smile, suggesting that nothing will stop the fun she loves to promote,” the analyst said.
Harris admitted in her message that the outcome of the campaign was not what supporters wanted, but urged them not to lose hope.
Harris “employs the bludgeoning ritual of the nodding head used to make her words sound very important with this ‘important’ technique, including raised eyebrows and a fixed gaze,” James stated, suggesting that she is using her ability to supporters wanted to emphasize. .
At one point, Harris nearly choked and put her hand to her throat and became even more scattered as she tried to finish her remarks.
Democratic presidential candidate, US Vice President Kamala Harris, calls on voters to make last-minute campaign with the Democratic National Committee
“The speech kind of dissolves toward the end when she talks about gathering Thanksgiving family around you in what’s happening on word salad street,” James said.
‘But overall she seems determined to keep this motivating for her audience, as if they’ve fallen before she has, a bit like a concerned mother rousing their teenager for a second attempt at failed exams or sports.’
Social media had a field day with the video as they edited the footage to manipulate the video of Harris holding or sitting on a bottle of alcohol.
One edited video shows Harris holding a bottle of Hennessy and one shows her smoking a cigar.