A body language expert explains the brilliance of Donald Trump's 5 top hand gestures


Donald Trump "is a New York City creature, and New Yorkers tend to use a lot of hand gestures," body language expert Mary Civiello explains for BBC News. Trump is "entertaining, even if you don't buy a thing he's saying," but his famously expressive hand gestures are also an under-appreciated political asset, she said. "I don't think he's been coached heavily on his body language, and people pick up on that in an instant — they pick up his authenticity." From Trump's "precise" L-shape gesture to his "look out!" palms-out move, Civiello runs through Trump's five signature gestures and how they help convey his message and whip up his crowds. She isn't wild about his finger-pointing, but when you combine it with the other four gestures, she says "you've got a good package." Watch below, and you may never watch a (Teleprompter-less) Trump speech the same way again. Peter Weber
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
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