Much of America and the world at large was surprised that Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Kamala had seemed like a young, suitable replacement for Joe Biden, whose last debate performance against Trump left everyone worrying about his health. For Democrats, hopes were high that replacing the elderly Biden with the younger Harris would help them lock down this election.
That didn’t happen, though, and in an ironic twist, Trump had to meet with Biden one last time. Per presidential tradition, current President Biden met with incoming President Trump to help ensure a peaceful transfer of power. Cameras were there to capture the meeting, and while the two men seemed pleasant enough toward one another, their body language told a different story.
At least, that’s what body language expert Traci Brown thought. She concluded that Joe Biden’s body language revealed that he saw Donald Trump as a threat. Just how did she come to this conclusion, and what does it tell us about the relationship between these two men? Keep reading to find out!
Joe Biden comes face to face again with Donald Trump
If you know much about government or history, you know that these meetings between incoming and outgoing presidents are part of a long tradition. In the earliest days of the United States, the fact that national leaders would peacefully pass their power onto someone else was a big deal in a world of kings and tyrants. Now, these meetings serve as a powerful symbol that this tradition of peaceful transference is still alive.
Nonetheless, this particular meeting was interesting because of the history between these two men. They were presidential rivals back in 2020, and even after Biden won that election, Trump kept talking trash about him. When they squared off against each other again in the first 2024 presidential debate, though, Biden’s mind seemed a million miles away, prompting speculation about his mental health that led to him stepping down and Kamala replacing him as the Democratic candidate.
In other words, their last meeting cost Biden the chance to run for president again. And from supporters to haters, everybody wondered how Biden would react to seeing his longtime rival.
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Another reason why this meeting was so important
As we noted before, presidents meeting ahead of a transition of power is a proud national tradition. That leads to another reason why this meeting was so important. Four years ago, this traditional meeting didn’t happen at all!
The reason why isn’t hard to guess. Donald Trump refused to acknowledge he lost the 2020 presidential election. He was so busy squealing that his victory had been stolen to invite Biden to the White House for the transition meeting. That made this the first time these two sat down like this and the first time they met since the debate. And judging by his body language, Biden was having none of it!
Biden seemed standoffish
Body language expert Traci Brown told Nicki Swift that Joe Biden seemed very standoffish in his meeting with Donald Trump. She noted how he kept avoiding eye contact, and when he spoke to Trump, he seemed to close his eyes altogether.
What does this mean, exactly? According to Brown, “[Biden] doesn’t want to see either his own departure from office or the things he and his team are going to do for Trump to make things smooth.” That last bit is significant because Biden previously promised he and his team would do everything to ensure a peaceful transfer of power. In this case, his body is betraying that he doesn’t love the idea of making anything any easier for Trump!
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What Biden’s lack of blinking really meant
When analyzing Joe Biden’s body language during his transition meeting with Donald Trump, Traci Brown focused quite a bit on his eyes. She told Nicki Swift that Biden’s lack of blinking while Trump was speaking to the press was significant for a singular reason. Simply put, it means that “this happens when we’re perceiving someone or something as a threat.”
Beyond his polite words, Biden’s body language reveals that he sees Trump as a major threat. He might not be the only one who doesn’t want to be anywhere near the incoming president, though. During all of this, everyone was left with a major question: where the heck was Melania Trump?
Melania Trump’s surprising absence
Few people observe proper etiquette and protocol quite as much as Jill Biden. Accordingly, she wrote a letter to give to the once and future First Lady, Melania Trump, at this transition meeting. There was just one problem: Melania never showed up!
She might have been missing for any number of reasons. But considering how she was largely absent on the campaign trail and doesn’t seem to like the idea of moving back into the White House, many are wondering if there might be an even bigger rift between her and Donald Trump than between Trump and Joe Biden.
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