Body language expert breaks down the ‘direct contrast’ of how Kamala Harris and Tim Walz handled first speech after election
Following their loss to Donald Trump, experts have argued Kamala Harris and Tim Walz's body language was vastly different to one another as Harris delivered her first speech since the election defeat.
Donald Trump has won the 2024 presidential election and this has meant White House hopefuls Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have had to concede to the Republican candidate.
Trump emerged victorious after securing 295 electoral votes, confirming his return to the Oval Office in January 2025 as the 47th POTUS.
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Harris reportedly called him to concede the election and later on took to her alma mater Howard University to address the country as well as her supporters. Tim Walz was also in attendance but did not speak on the podium.
Body language expert Judi James spoke to Paddy Power Games and highlighted how differently Harris and Walz approached the situation.
She said: “[Harris'] muscle memory might have kicked in and taken over her delivery style but there were verbal and visual echoes of her buoyant campaign appearances, with the grinning, the giggling and the crowd-hailing repeated cry of ‘Good afternoon!’.
“There was little reason to verbally crowd-surf like this given the occasion, but Harris clapped them like a winner until the chuckling mood slowly evaporated."
In contrast Walz was visibly upset about the result, with his sorrowful feelings clear on his face.
James continued: “Tim Walz’s tragic, tearful facial expression summed up the authentic mood of this crowd though. His lips were clamped, and his wide mouth was pulled down at the corners in a clown-like mask of misery.
"This was in direct contrast to Kamala Harris’s body language display of what looked at times like reflecting victory rather than defeat.”
James also argued that Harris’ body language did not echo the situation, stating ‘the impression was that the needle had got stuck in the record and she was somehow oblivious to what had happened earlier.’
She added that at times, Harris’ feelings of genuine upset seeped through as she thanked her supporters for going with her on her hopeful journey to the White House.
She said: “[Her phrases of] 'My heart is full’ and ‘I love you guys’ came from a voice that appeared to be cracking with emotion. She appeared to be using some deep swallows to prevent actual tears breaking through.
“Her body language tone was still heavy with gestures of authority though. She wagged her finger and she performed constant head batons.
“She claimed to be ‘so proud’ with both hands held up, and the remainder of her speech contained a constant repetition of the word ‘fight’ with her finger raised in the air to emphasize a sense of cautious authority. She used the word ‘peaceful’ but said ‘I do not concede the fight’.
“Her smile dropped, and her face looked drawn as she spoke in her usual word-salad style before her sign-off."
Timeline: What happens now Donald Trump is president-elect?
Here are the key dates to be aware of as the rest of the year unfolds.
November 26 - New York hush money sentencing
Trump could be sentenced for up to four years in prison after he was convicted of 34 counts of fraud in a hush money case in May.
New York jurors found him guilty of illegally influencing the 2016 election through a payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who said the two had sex. Trump pleaded not guilty, arguing the allegations he faces are not criminal.
Lawyers are expected to ask for his November 26 sentencing to be delayed. Sentencing a president-elect ahead of Inauguration Day would be unprecedented in US history.
The sentencing, initially scheduled for July 11, has already been postponed twice before. A July US Supreme Court ruling found that presidents have broad immunity from prosecution over their official acts.
December 5 - Racketeering case hearing
Trump and 18 co-defendants were charged under racketeering laws in Georgia for an alleged conspiracy to reverse his narrow defeat in the 2020 election.
All defendants are charged with one count of violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) statute, which carries a penalty of between five and twenty years in prison. Trump pleaded not guilty.
Trump could become the first president to be sentenced to jail before Inauguration Day (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Nine co-defendants, including the President-Elect, are calling for lead prosecutor Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to be disqualified from the case over alleged misconduct stemming from a romantic relationship she had with a former deputy. The case is paused while the Georgia Court of Appeals decide whether to disqualify Willis.
Oral argument hearings are scheduled for December 5.
Trump's lawyer said he will seek to pause any activity related to Trump based on an argument that a president should not face the burden of a criminal prosecution while in office.
December 17 —Electoral college voting begins
Electors of each state meet to select the President and Vice President on the first Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December.
Each state chooses its representatives to the Electoral College, a number based on the size of each state’s population and how many representatives and senators it has in Congress.
Representatives are sworn to vote for the candidate who got the most votes in that state.
December 25 - Electoral votes must arrive
The president of the senate and the archivist must receive certificates recording the electoral vote results no later than the fourth Wednesday in December — this year, Christmas Day. The results of each state’s electoral votes are then sent to the newly elected Congress, who are sworn in on January 3.
Trump's inauguration will be held at the U.S Capitol in Washing D.C (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
January 6 - Electoral college vote count
Congress meets to formally count and announce the electoral college votes. The past two elections, the counts were announced on January 6. In 2021, this triggered the Capitol Riots
by a mob Trump supporters after he lost to President Elect Joe Biden.
January 20 - Trump's inauguration
The 47th Presidential Inauguration will be held on the west front of the US Capitol in Washington D.C on Monday, January 20, 2025. The president-elect and his vice-president-elect, JD Vance, will be sworn in and take office.
Inauguration Day falls on a Monday, meaning it will be a federal holiday for US citizens.
Topics: Kamala Harris, News, Politics, US News, Donald Trump
Gerrard Kaonga