Body Language Expert Tells Us Trump's Secret Debate Strategy & How Kamala Handshake Exposed It

Put 'er there, partner! All eyes were on Donald J. Trump and Kamala Harris as they took the stage on September 10 for their first debate. The televised evening was chock-full of awkward, cringey, and viral moments, including one that had many asking "What's up with Trump's eyes?" However, one of the most shocking moments of the debate occurred right out of the gate. As the presidential candidates took the stage, Harris marched right over to Trump, introduced herself by her full name, and more or less forced the self-professed germaphobe to shake her hand. (Yep. It's true. Trump is a proud member of the Celebs Who Are Huge Germaphobes club.)  "Let's have a good debate," Harris said to which Trump responded, "Nice to see you. Let's have fun."

Most awkward handshake of all time pic.twitter.com/GindqB6W4o

— The Recount (@therecount) September 11, 2024

Body language expert Traci Brown exclusively told Nicki Swift that she believed Harris' handshake saw 'round the world actually did way more than just give Trump the ick. According to Brown, it also exposed Trump's top-secret debate plan. "I'm thinking this was a planned strategy," she speculated. 

According to body language trainer and certified speaking professional Traci Brown, Donald J. Trump's secret debate strategy was simply to ignore Kamala Harris. "His behavior of avoiding her and failing to engage lasted through the night. He rarely looked at her through the night, preferring to look down on the moderators the vast majority of the time," Brown noted. "Trump didn't want to engage her emotionally so [he] never looked her way. When he got stressed he had tight or disappearing lips, or his trademark pucker."

Unfortunately for Donald Trump, his carefully curated debate plan completely backfired when his opponent forced him to acknowledge her with a handshake. "With the handshake she took the opportunity to set the tone. She walked on more quickly than him and was trying to look him in the eye. He wouldn't return that look. She had to duck to get within his view and wasn't going let him avoid her. She even had to dodge the podium to get to him, which ended up being far into his territory." As for taking the time to introduce herself by her full name? "That's just manners," Brown declared. The great American poet and writer Margaret Walker once said, "Friends and good manners will carry you where money won't go."

It should be noted, however, that Donald Trump's debate strategy against Kamala Harris proved to be a far cry from his debate style against Hillary Clinton way back in 2016. As you may recall, Trump drew major criticism for what some referred to as "prowling" and "lurking" behind Clinton on the debate stage. Later, Clinton wrote about the experience in the confines of "What Happened," her 2017 memoir. "This is not OK, I thought," she penned. "It was the second presidential debate, and Donald Trump was looming behind me. ... It was incredibly uncomfortable. He was literally breathing down my neck. My skin crawled." Perhaps we should file that one under the worst moments in presidential debate history.

It's entirely possible that all of the backlash Trump received from that debate was also at the forefront of his mind as he prepared for the debate against Harris, which ultimately resulted in him steering clear of the vice president altogether. It should also be noted that Trump and Clinton did not begin the debate by shaking hands. They did, however, end the debate with a handshake, so there's that. 

For what it's worth, following the intense September 10 debate, Trump and Harris gathered together again merely 12 hours later, along with President Joe Biden, at the 9/11 anniversary ceremony in Manhattan. In a rather curious turn of events, they shook hands again — and this time Trump flashed a big smile while doing so. Cold hands, warm heart? TBD, we suppose.