In the first presidential election matchup in 68 years, there’s nothing new to learn about Donald Trump and Joe Biden from what they said during Thursday’s debate — making body language even more important, experts told The Post.
From the start, the event felt overwhelming for Biden, 81, who stiffly advanced to the podium before Trump, 78, took the stage.
“A lot of body movements, in (terms of) body language, are hard to change, unless they’re really committed to weight lifting or intense muscle training,” says body language expert and Carnegie Mellon drama professor Miso Wei. “Otherwise, a lot of stiffness and slowness due to age.”
Although Biden is only three years and seven months older than Trump, he looks older and older than ever, Wei added.
“The way he talks, there’s no way to hide his age,” he said. “And the way she is now – the shape of her body now – there’s no way to hide her age.”
Biden’s voice was weak and breathy, causing him to sound like he was old. He also appeared “out of breath” during the debate, according to Wei – which the White House said was due to the cold.
“I would encourage them to talk about their age and then say, ‘Okay, I’m old, but this is the advantage of my age: I can give you wisdom, I give you experience,’ instead of (trying to) hide it,” he said.
Trump, on the other hand, presents his points with a steady voice, becoming more authoritative based on his voice and stature, brain and body language expert and psychiatrist Carole Lieberman told The Post.
“I think it’s nice to, you know, be supported the way (Trump) did,” said Lieberman, who plans to run for the 45th president this November.
However, he said Trump is “not perfect.”
Just as Biden has done little to deflect criticism of his advanced age, Lieberman said Trump could do more to refute accusations that he is self-absorbed.
“I think they do too much, ‘I’m the greatest and I’m the greatest,’ but, I mean, I get it,” he said. “… But they should do a little more, because it’s a killer.”
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“People say he’s a narcissist, so you don’t want to play,” Lieberman added.
Biden, who won points before facing Trump in 2020 for appearing “empathetic” to Americans struggling at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, failed to make that impression Thursday night, according to the psychiatrist.
“Biden doesn’t seem to understand how the American people are hurting. He’s just trying to say, ‘Oh, we’re doing great, blah, blah, blah,’ but people are really suffering in so many different ways,” she said. “They don’t even admit there’s a problem.”
Although the incumbent failed to empathize, Lieberman said Biden did empathize — just not in the way the presidential campaign had hoped.
“Even though I’m definitely a Trumper, you can’t help but feel sorry for Biden,” he said. “It’s like your grandfather, you know, he disappears in one sentence and you have to feel sorry for him, in a way.”
Even if the candidates don’t speak, there’s a lot to take away from the debate stage. For example, Wei said that next time, he will caution Trump not to smirk when Biden speaks because it “sends a cheerful tone.”
But, he added, Biden often lost when his rival responded to the moderator.
“I would encourage (Biden) to pay attention to the times when he’s not talking,” he said, “because when he’s not talking, his facial expressions are open (and he’s) opening the zone with his eyes open.”
