Following Tuesday’s vice presidential debate, Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are hitting the campaign trail in key battleground states. Vance is set to visit Michigan, while Walz will make his way to Pennsylvania, each continuing to campaign on their distinct visions for America’s future after a spirited debate last night.
According to body language expert Carole Lieberman, M.D., the vice presidential candidates displayed notably different demeanors during the debate. Former President Trump’s running mate exuded calm and a firm grasp of the issues, presenting a composed figure. In contrast, Governor Walz initially seemed nervous and somewhat fidgety, though he eventually settled in as the debate progressed.
“What JD Vance had that made him most likable and most trusted was that he was authentic… you could just say it in one word. JD Vance was authentic. He did big hand movements and so on, but they were just to explain what he was saying,” Lieberman explained to Fox News. “JD Vance came across as being very steady, like you can kind of see him as a captain of the ship, and he wasn’t too stiff, but you knew what you were going to get. Each time he seemed sure of himself… And so you felt like you would be safe with him. He gave an air of stability.”
Lieberman continued, “With Tim Walz, he was all over the place. He was very nervous, and he also had body language signs of lying. His body language was discordant with what he was saying. It was like too much, it made you feel exhausted and scared.”
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On Tuesday, a bombshell report released by CNN exposed Walz for falsely claiming that he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square massacre on June 4, 1989. In fact, Walz did not travel to China until August 1989, three months after the massacre. The Democrat VP nominee had previously referenced being in Hong Kong during the event in various interviews and speeches, but the claim was debunked. The news came just ahead of the debate against Vance.
“He was so defensive, he was just talking in circles and didn’t want to admit that he had lied. If he had said that at the very beginning, it would have been more honest,” Lieberman said. “[Walz] seemed like he was the new politician, like he was just trying to figure these things out. He was always looking down… I mean yes, it’s OK to take notes when you’re talking but… he was frantically taking notes like, ‘Oh man I better say that’ and ‘This is the answer to that.’ It really didn’t seem to help him much, but I think it was a nervous compensation.”
Lieberman added, “Whereas with JD you could see the Yale debater.”
“He obviously has had… years and years of practice, debating in college and as a lawyer and so on,” Lieberman told Fox. “You read about or heard about both of them practicing, but if it’s coming from an authentic place, you don’t really have to practice that much. You know what you want to do and you just say it. Whereas if you’re hiding things by squirreling around, then you do have to practice to make sure you don’t say that, or you do say that. And that’s kind of how it came across.”
“He wanted to… ‘Let’s go, I can’t wait to do this, I’m going to do it’… he’s Trump lite,” Lieberman explained. “It’s kind of the authenticity that I want to take care of America, I want to make America great again, all of that just came through naturally and by the end, you just kind of wanted him to push Tim Walz away. ‘You’re making me nervous’ kind of thing and with JD Vance you just kind of felt ‘OK, that’s good.’”
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