CNN analyzes 'backslaps' between Sanders and Obama ahead of White House meeting

Bernie Sanders and President Obama at the White House.

(Image credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

published 9 June 2016

It's been a long election, and after more than a year of non-stop campaign coverage, it's hard to come up with new things to say about the minutiae of the 2016 race. At least, that seems to be the dilemma at CNN, which, while trying to cover the anticipated meeting Thursday between Sen. Bernie Sanders and President Obama at the White House, resorted to analyzing body language as the two walked down the famed colonnade:

The audio in the clip was minimal, so other than sparse laughter by the two men, not much was available for dissection ahead of the actual meeting. But dissect we must, and so CNN anchors John Berman and Kate Bolduan resorted to discussing the back-slapping between the president and the senator and whether it was mutual. "I have to say, just dissecting that walk can be fascinating," Berman said. "I saw at least one backslap from the senator to the president." Bolduan was quick to clarify that there was also a backslap from the president to the senator.

Of course, there is some analysis to be done regarding the optics of the whole thing — but backslaps? Five more months til Election Day, everyone.