A body language expert has given her analysis on how Donald Trump and JD Vance reacted internally when Bishop Mariann Budde implored them to ‘have mercy’ on members of the LGBTQ+ community as they assumed leadership of the nation.
The Right Rev Mariann Budde addressed her remarks during a church service on Tuesday, January 21, following Trump’s inauguration on January 20, which came a day after he signed an order affirming there are only two genders.
This church service is a customary element of the inauguration day in the U.S., and Trump attended with his vice president, Vance, while Budde delivered her sermon at St. John’s Church in Washington, DC.
Budde directed her comments to the new U.S. leaders, stating: “Let me make one final plea, Mr. President. Millions have put their trust in you, and as you told the nation yesterday you have felt the providential hand of a loving God.
“In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy on the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican and independent families, some who fear for their lives.”
Although Trump and Vance seemed to reveal little during Budde’s sermon, body language expert Judi James has analyzed the event, noting that the new president did indeed ‘leak out’ some emotions.
In an interview with The Mirror, she explained: “Trump’s first roasting came early and from the unexpected source of a pulpit. As the bishop begged for mercy for immigrants, transgender and gay children etc there was a bristling among Trump’s group as a whole.
“Trump managed something close to a poker face but he managed to leak out feelings of impatience and brewing irritation via some of his subtler non-verbal signals.”
James noted that Trump initially ‘implies he is going to keep his thoughts to himself via a cut-off gesture as he glances downward’.
She continued: “When the bishop talks about ‘people who pick crops and labour in poultry farms’ he taps his order of service in a metronomic ritual of impatience. His mouth falls slightly open and then his jaw slews to the right and he turns his torso to look to the side in the most emphatic reaction before looking down at his program again.”
Regarding Vance, James observed that the vice president displayed a ‘more open’ reaction to Budde’s address.
She stated: “When the children are mentioned, he glances at his wife in a more obvious gesture of rejection and his eyes come back to the front with a partial, wry smile. He turns to his wife twice then raises his brows in an expression of mock surprise before studying his program. At one point he tries to catch Trump’s eye in a tie-sign signal that suggests a desire to show unity and support.”
Budde has been widely praised for directly addressing her concerns with Trump and Vance, with many online viewers commending her ‘courage’.