Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Donald Trump is an evil man

Came across this twitter thread (via Sean P. Dailey) that divulges what transpired in that moment during Trump's inauguration when he turned around and Melania's face changed instantly from a big smile to stone cold opposite:

It may not have been their first face to face that day, but it still holds.

The timeline in the GIF that I always saw is way too clipped, and I knew there was something more going on. But I knew that Melania's change in expression was due to something that Trump did when he turned around. 

The change in expression wasn't the relaxing of a public posture; it wasn't a rictus smile giving way to regular disgust. I figured he gave her a hard cold look or something, like some kind of sick dominance thing going on. But if you watch the longer sequences you will see that Trump communicates something to her. He mouths something to her that is the cause in her change of expression.

It is the shocked and humiliated expression of one having received unexpected verbal abuse, out in public, under the circumstances of such an important national ceremony.

It's because Trump mouthed the words "Fuck you".

Think that's a stretch? Like, really, a guy would do that to the First Lady during his inauguration? Isn't that something like Gene Hackman in Absolute Power? If you think it's a stretch, you have no idea of what kind of man Trump is.

Trump is a predator. He knows that how to hurt depends on the when. He doesn't need to think about it; it's all part of his "flow". Abusive words spoken in the context of a private exchange are indeed harmful, but those words or similar will land with far more hurt, far more stunning humiliation, when they are spoken (or mouthed) in a context (such as a presidential inauguration) where they are least expected, even least expected by one who may be used to said verbal abuse, and may even engage in speaking such words herself.

The moment is actually not at all ambiguous. You can see it clearly.

 

You have to pay attention. The stacked planes make it look like Trump is communicating with Melania right away. But you can see when Trump turns around, he is first exchanging facial communication with Ivanka. Trump is raising his eyebrows in a "wow, look at us" kind of moment, or something like it. You can see this also by the fact that Ivanka responds by also raising her eyebrows in the same fashion.

Trump then turns his face farther back towards Melania and mouths the words, "Fuck you". And then turns his face back forward with the most incredible look of smugness.

One thing that people miss is the look on Ivanka's face at that same moment. Even though half her face is cut off by the screen, you can tell that she sees what Trump mouths to Melania, and her expression too also instantly changes in a similar way. It almost looks like she might cry.

2 comments:

Terry Nelson said...

He's a bastard.

Paul Stilwell said...

I've used that same word for him a number of times.