Donald Trump was seen sitting still in his seat as gunshots rang out during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Now, a body language expert has revealed why the U.S. President didn’t react.
Cole Tomas Allen charged past the security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday, armed with a shotgun, handgun, and knives. He exchanged gunfire with law enforcement before being taken down and arrested.
Sources close to the investigation told ABC News that early evidence suggests Allen planned to target as many people as possible in a mass shooting.
On Monday, Allen was formally charged with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump. Prosecutors also charged him with transporting a firearm or ammunition across state lines, as well as discharging a firearm during a violent crime. The allegations were presented during Allen’s arraignment in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
Videos from the Washington Hilton show exactly how the situation unfolded. While many people took shelter behind tables, Trump administration officials were quickly moved out of harm’s way.
But at first, Donald Trump didn’t move. Now, an expert has explained that the contrast between the U.S. President and those around him was striking.
Body language expert reveals why Donald Trump did not react during assassination attempt
Body language expert “Dr G” has now shared why Donald Trump appeared not to react.
“He looks indifferent, almost unimpressed by what’s going on around him,” the expert said. “If you look at the three people that he’s surrounded by… we’re all seeing the freeze response… Freeze is the first step.”
Dr. G, whose YouTube channel has more than 650,000 subscribers, continued by explaining that what viewers saw was a “textbook” example of how humans respond to sudden danger, saying, “three of them are all freezing.”
As the situation began to escalate, people around Donald Trump started moving, triggering the “flight” response.
“You’ll notice that… they all leaned backward. Even though physically that’s not actually going to do anything, that’s part of the instinct,” Dr. G said.
Although the danger was clear, Donald Trump’s calm manner stood out, the body language expert noted.
“President Trump still does not seem to be particularly concerned about what’s going on. You’ll notice his facial expression doesn’t really change through any of this,” the expert concluded, adding, “Part of what I think this says is that President Trump may interpret danger differently than other people.”
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