Following a months-long presidential race, Republican nominee Donald Trump emerged victorious last night securing 295 electoral votes and confirming his return to the Oval Office in January 2025 as the 47th President of the United States.
After reportedly calling him to concede the election, Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage at her alma mater, Howard University, earlier today to publicly address the nation and her supporters.
“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” Harris said in her concession speech. “The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people.”
As Harris arrived on stage to a roar of applause from the crowd, body language expert, professional speaker, and author of Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma Patti Wood told UNILAD that the vice president appeared ‘powerful and confident.’
“Coming on stage, from backstage, to the podium by herself without even being introduced was a bold, brave move,” Wood shared. “It gives a powerful first impression.”
“[Harris] smiles and waves high in the air several times, and claps with her arms up and out towards the audience,” Wood continued. “A multitude of ‘up’ body language cues that indicate happiness and joy. That she still feels powerful and confident…It makes her look like the winner.”
When Harris begins to address the crowd, Wood notes that she does it with a ‘large open smile,’ ‘her cheeks lifted,’ and ‘her hand resting on her chest,’ which she explains are all indications that ‘the smile is not fake’ and that she ‘feels the crowd’s love which makes her truly happy.’
As Harris continued on with her speech, Wood mentions her body language shifts noting that ‘we can see her bracing herself to speak’ as she begins to take deep breaths and moves her shoulders back.
“She gives a more prissy, forced, tight smile, and this slightly sour smile [is] letting you know the taste of what she is going to have to say is not sweet,” Wood explains. “She says ‘the light of America’s promise will always burn bright’ but with some emotional vocal fry and slight squinting. It’s a great statement, but I would have liked it to be more confidently delivered.”
“As she finishes, she looks down, brows down, and tight lipped, trembling chin, holding back tears,” Wood adds. “She does follow it up with…’As long as we keep fighting’ with a slightly stronger delivery and gesturing with a pointed finger, but her voice breaks.”
While Wood notes that you can ‘see’ Harris’ love when she addresses her husband Douglas Emhoff and their family, she also explains that there is a ‘revealing tell’ when Harris begins talking about President-Elect Donald Trump.
“There is a revealing ‘tell’ when she says, ‘Earlier today I talked to President-Elect Trump’ as she gestures with a downward push motion, symbolically pushing him down as she frowns,” Wood explains.
“The most potent illuminating moment occurs after she makes several strong statements,” she continues. “[Harris] sounds strong, angry and opens her mouth wide with power. Then her eyes flutter briefly showing that she may be hiding even more anger,” with Wood noting that these moments particularly occurred when Harris urged her supporters to keep fighting and to never give up.
“There is a moment where she begins a statement, ‘To the young people who are watching’… You see a mixture of happiness and sadness. She feels both simultaneously,” Wood continues. “She is saying some very motivational things and using the word fight many times. But as she continues to say it, she is no longer mad. Her voice is strong.”
When ending her speech, Harris urged people to mobilize, organize, and stay perseverant even in difficult moments, referencing what she called an old adage: “Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”
Wood notes that Harris is making a ‘positive statement using the word light’ here, emphasizing that she ‘clearly believes people will need to fight, but her final message was about light.’
