JD Vance displayed a “smooth, charming confidence” during his vice presidential debate with the “human and flawed” Tim Walz, a body language expert said.
Judi James told DailyMail.com that the debate could be summed up at the end when Vance and Walz tried to shake hands in a “very well-mannered battle for power and status.”
She said Vance walked up to Walz and made a “drop-dig hand gesture to register a firm force.”
This was in contrast to the presidential debate, where James said Kamala Harris “took the initiative before the debate even started, with her assertive handshake with Donald Trump.”
“Political leadership becomes a competition to see who can take the lead by getting the most or the last pat on the back,” James said.
JD Vance displayed a ‘smooth, charming confidence’ during his vice presidential debate with the ‘human and flawed’ Tim Walz, a body language expert said
She described Vance as having an easy charm, while Walz often appeared to wave his hands and point at the camera, as if attacking voters.
Vance got the upper hand by patting Walz on the arm before Walz did the same back, trying to laugh it off.
James echoed what many on social media saw as a refreshing joviality in the debate, citing the moment when Vance knowingly mocked Walz and admitted that he can “miss” like Trump.
“The split screen showed moments where the men nodded in agreement and Vance verbally picked out points they would agree on,” James said.
She added that during the debate, which became “warmer and more amicable” as time went on, Vance often created moments of community between himself and Walz.
“Phrases like ‘Tim and I’ came out of Vance’s mouth and ‘as Tim said…’ to make it a friendly debate despite the odd moments when they clashed,” she added.
James was extremely complimentary of the Hillbilly Elegy author and Ohio senator, who was well-groomed and had an easy charm.
“It was Vance who had the charisma here, exuding a calm, charming confidence that was smooth enough to have come out of a Brylcreem ad.”
She even noted similarities between Vance and Vice President Harris during her battle with Trump.
Judi James told DailyMail.com that the debate could be encapsulated at the end when Vance and Walz tried to shake hands in a ‘very well-mannered battle for power and status’
“A faint smile never left his face and he adopted the Harris technique of watching his opponent on split screen with a sense of what seemed to be mild amusement, before regularly making non-verbal glances at the camera,” she said .
She was also impressed by the way Vance spoke about his wife and children and used the word “beautiful.”
But substantively, his body language was able to take the debate where he wanted it to go against Walz.
The British body language expert has been meticulously researching public encounters for decades
‘He directed and led the points, although he also dodged direct questions several times. His eye expression was calm, while Walz’s eyes appeared startled and his voice sounded nervous and breathless at times,” James said.
James, on the other hand, believes that Walz took too much time to get comfortable before the debate and only succeeded in his final remarks, when he was “freshly powdered.”
She cited his efforts to name Taylor Swift, a “politics of joy” and an almost “hippie-esque” optimism that showed a much less nervous candidate than she saw at the top of the show.
But early in the match, Walz’s movements suggested “agitation, frowning, a round, staring eye expression, and pleading hand gestures.”
She also had his mouth “shut up” and looked unhappy too, as he angrily wrote in his notes, which Donald Trump mocked during the debate.
‘A faint smile never went away [Vance’s] face and he employed the Harris technique of watching his opponent on a split screen with a sense of what appeared to be mild amusement, before making regular non-verbal glances at the camera,” she said.
James was also impressed by the way Vance spoke about his wife and children and his use of the word “beautiful”
James called out the Minnesota governor for pointing and staring at the camera, as if he was “angryly attacking the voters.”
Ultimately, despite her preference for Vance, it may come down to voters’ stance on the issues to determine who won.
‘The winner of this debate would have been Vance on technique and technical points, but much would depend on the taste of the voters, whether they would be attracted to his calm charm or prefer the unpolished-looking passion from Walz.’
The two vice presidential candidates feuded over abortion, immigration and the economy.
They also pursued each other over their different approaches to foreign policy – as the Middle East is on the brink of all-out war after Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel.
Hosts Norah O’Donnell and Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan were accused of being biased after cutting Vance’s microphone as he backtracked on a fact-check about his claims about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio.
Megyn Kelly led the rage with “How Dare You!” to post. at X on a night when Vance had a strong performance and Walz had a stumbling start.
That prompted an angry response from Trump’s running mate, who fired back and then had his microphone cut off, sparking outrage among viewers who accused CBS of “bias.”
James believes Walz took too much time to get comfortable during the debate and only managed to do so during his final remarks, when he was “freshly powdered.”
The two vice presidential candidates feuded over abortion, immigration and the economy
Walz, 60, also revealed that his own 17-year-old son witnessed a shooting at a school community center, in a harrowing story of gun violence nationwide.
It led to a rare moment of consensus on behalf of both candidates, who agreed that schools should be safe havens for America’s children.
And social media users swooned over Vance’s “gorgeous blue” eyes as he answered the moderators’ questions.
Neither candidate plans to debate again, making this possibly the last event of this kind with Donald Trump refusing to debate Kamala Harris for a second time ahead of the November 5 election.