Hours after it became clear Donald Trump had won re-election as president of the United States, his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, delivered a message of hope in a concession speech. But underneath it all was some different emotions.
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00:00Hours after it became clear Donald Trump had won re-election as President of the United
00:04States, his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, delivered a message of hope in a concession
00:09speech. But underneath it all was some different emotions.
00:11In the early morning hours of November 6, 2024, Trump crossed the 270 electoral vote
00:16threshold and was declared President-elect. Since he'll serve non-consecutive terms,
00:21the 45th president will also be the 47th, and he'll be sworn in for the second time
00:25on January 20, 2025.
00:27The Trump camp is understandably jubilant over the result. Just as understandably, many
00:31of Harris' supporters are despondent, given that the election was often spoken of as an
00:35existential moment in U.S. democracy. So they looked to their candidate to give them some
00:39solace as she delivered her concession speech the afternoon of November 6. Her words, at
00:43least, did offer that. She said her heart was full of gratitude for the support she
00:47got and full of love for the country. Harris added that, as long as people keep fighting
00:51for it,
00:52The light of America's promise will always burn bright."
00:58Viewers couldn't help but notice, though, that Harris' dark plum suit seemed to match
01:02her underlying mood. Body language expert and behavior analyst Tracy Brown told Grunge
01:06that the vice president's demeanor exuded a combination of sadness and hopefulness.
01:10Brown pointed to specific moments during Harris' speech where the vice president's gestures
01:14and facial expression made it clear what she was feeling beyond words. Brown pointed out
01:18that Harris' voice wavered as she was saying the,
01:21light of America's promise, line in a way that was, quote,
01:23The behavior analyst noted that emotions like that are almost impossible to fake. Brown
01:28noticed another waver, too, when Harris talked about ensuring a peaceful transfer of power.
01:33That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny.
01:41Brown pointed to a few moments that indicated hopefulness, too. For one, Harris put her
01:44hands together in what Brown described as a prayer pose when encouraging her supporters
01:48to accept the results of the election. There was a similar moment near the end of the speech
01:52when Harris made an analogy about this being a period of darkness for many of her supporters.
01:57Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.
02:02Brown did notice one more key emotion in Harris' body language throughout the speech — anger.
02:07The analyst didn't cite any specific moments, but she noted some times when the vice president's
02:11voice became a bit harder and furrowed her brow. Brown said that she hadn't seen Harris
02:15demonstrate this kind of emotion before, which is understandable given the immensity
02:19of losing a presidential election. It's certainly a contrast to how Harris presented herself
02:23at the Democratic National Convention back in August, where the overriding theme was
02:27joy.
02:28One moment where it seemed clear Harris was feeling some fury was this one, in which Harris
02:31said she would never give up the fight for a future where women in America
02:34"...have the freedom to make decisions about their own body and not have their government
02:41telling them what to do."
02:44Another seeming moment of anger cropped up when Harris discussed protecting kids from
02:47gun violence in school, saying,
02:49"...the fight for our country is always worth it."
02:51Harris did close out her roughly 11-and-a-half-minute speech on a hopeful note, returning to the
02:55star analogy. She told supporters to
02:57"...fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars."
03:01The light of optimism, of faith, of truth, and service.