Americans are counting votes in the presidential elections in subsequent states. At 8 a.m. Polish time, according to CNN forecasts, Kamala Harris loses to Donald Trump. The former US president has already won 266 electoral votes. Harris currently has 188 of them. On election night, the politician canceled her speech. We asked an expert in body language and public speaking trainer, as well as the author of the book “The Speaker's Body Language” – about what such a gesture might mean and how it will affect her image. Maurycy Seweryn.
Kamala Harris canceled her speech. The expert points out possible reasons
“You won't hear from the vice president today, but you will hear about her tomorrow,” Harris campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond said in Washington as he informed the public that Kamala Harris was withdrawing from her latest appearance. Foreign media, including: NDTV World claims that the politician withdrew in the face of Donald Trump's growing advantage. However, we asked a specialist what the reasons for Harris's behavior could be. – There may be several reasons. The first one might be awareness of defeat. On the other hand, it may be a signal to others that waiting for the election results – the public speaking trainer told us Maurycy Seweryn.
There is a third option, although it is very doubtful, because Harris has such a strong character that after receiving information about the current results, she simply broke down
– said Seweryn, emphasizing that this scenario is not very likely.
Is canceling Kamala Harris' speech a good move?
The expert emphasized that similar situations in America, when a politician running for election cancels his speech at the last minute during the vote counting, have already occurred. It usually happened when it came to him losing. – This is not the best image move, at least in the perception of European voters, but such situations have happened in the USA. Then they were a signal of defeat – we heard. As Seweryn noted, Harris' behavior may indicate that she needs time to consider whether to congratulate Trump. You also need time to write a new speech.
But that's not the end. The public speaking coach pointed out Harris' last public appearance. – Her last reaction is significant. It's about the moment when she last appeared in public. She then took a very defensive position. Her voice was muffled which would indicate that she was already aware that she had probably lost. This is an element related to retreating and hiding in a defensive position, waiting in silence for the final result – he said.
Donald Trump has already finished his speech
It is worth emphasizing here that although Kamala Harris resigned, Donald Trump came to the podium and announced his victory. Maurycy Seweryn took a closer look at his words and gestures. You can read more about this HERE.