Body language expert breaks down 3rd Republican debate — here’s who appeared ‘calmer’

Actions really do speak louder than words.

The smaller field in Wednesday night’s Republican presidential debate allowed all five candidates more speaking time to hammer home their messages – which were aided, or hindered, by their gestures and other nonverbal communication.

DC-based body language expert Chris Ulrich broke down the fiery debate and provided exclusive analysis to The Post on what he was able to glean from what happened when the debaters weren’t speaking.

Haley confronts Ramaswamy

In perhaps the most memorable moment of the night, former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, 51, blasted entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy as “scum” after he mentioned her daughter’s TikTok use.

During the heated exchange, Haley turned her entire body toward Ramaswamy to emphasize her anger at her rival.

“We do see a turn and a full engagement of confrontation during this odd moment,” Ulrich said. “It’s very conflict-oriented.”

The five candidates stand next to each other during Wednesday night’s debate in Miami. AP
During the heated exchange, Haley turned her entire body toward Ramaswamy to emphasize her anger at her rival.REUTERS

Ulrich said Haley then showed “major disgust on her face,” as her nose wrinkled, “the teeth come up and she points at him and says, ‘You leave my daughter out of your voice.’”

“I think she was angry, so ‘out of your mouth’ was probably where she was going with it, but I mean, that doesn’t matter,” he said. “The point is, that was some major engagement.”

Overall, Ulrich noted that Haley “struggled out of the gate a little bit” during her opening remarks, but soon “found her footing as the debate went on,” pointing to her poise and confidence in taking on tough foreign policy questions

Nikki Haley’s facial expressions showed “major disgust” as her nose wrinkled and “the teeth came up.”AP

‘Calmer’ DeSantis

In previous debates and public engagements Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has faced criticism and mockery for his seemingly forced facial expressions and less natural body language.

But heading into Wednesday night, Ulrich said, DeSantis “did his homework” and came out ready.

“It was clear he was calmer – he looked into the camera when he delivered his opening. His body language was congruent,” said Ulrich.

Ron DeSantis appeared calmer and showed less forced facial expression compared to his previous debate appearances, according to Ulrich.AFP via Getty Images

“You could tell in his prep from the last debate, he was very honed-in.”

But as the night progressed, DeSantis’ polish appeared to wear down as some of the finer tweaks he made to his debate performance washed away – such as his tendency to resemble a bobblehead doll, according to Ulrich.

“One of the things he does when he gets really excited, he uses his head to emphasize points,” Ulrich said. “He emphasizes so much with his head that it becomes like he’s bobbing and weaving … and I think it can become a distraction to an otherwise very polished message.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis talks with Vivek Ramaswamy during a break in the debate on Wednesday, Nov. 9.AP

By the time he gave his closing statement, the Florida governor appeared tired and deflated in his gestures and facial expressions – and with the thick band of sweat that appeared over his lip in the debate’s last hour.

“By the end he’s looking kind of worn out. He’s got upper lip sweat, which marks stress,” Ulrich said. “That’s nothing against him, but just how does that play on TV? It distracts – just like the fly on [former Vice President Mike] Pence’s head.”

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie effectively conveyed his points – with the help of simple pauses, Ulrich said.Getty Images

Christie’s use of pauses

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie effectively conveyed his points – with the help of simple pauses, Ulrich said.

“Contrast [Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.)] with the slow speaking style of Chris Christie, who I thought’s use of pausing was masterful to effectively articulate his message,” he said.

“Whether you agree with Chris Christie or not – and I don’t think the Republican Party does – I thought he was effective out of the gate.”

Sen. Tim Scott held the longest time on the mic, at 19 minutes, but time isn’t always a good thing.REUTERS

Time isn’t everything

While Scott led the board with almost 19 minutes at the microphone – more than 3.5 minutes longer than either DeSantis or Christie – Ulrich said he was the weakest at delivering his points.

“He had the most time, but did he use that time effectively to convey a message that would resonate to say, ‘Tim Scott is the person I should look at again as a potential candidate for the presidency if I’m looking for an alternative to Donald Trump?” he said.

“He seemed at times to be talking past the [alotted time] window and not using messaging that helped hone in on why you should choose Tim Scott – that got lost in the verbiage of Tim Scott’s monologues.”

Regardless of the candidates’ nonverbal performance Wednesday night, Ulrich said it’s important to keep in mind that “these are human beings under a lot of stress.”

Vivek Ramaswamy speaks while Tim Scott looks on during the third Republican presidential debate in Miami on Nov. 9, 2023.AFP via Getty Images

“We have to give them all credit for getting to do this, and these are folks that are putting themselves under the spotlight to go after the most stressful job out there,” he said.

“I often say when we talk about body language, what if a giant mirror came down from the sky and we saw your body language?” Ulrich said. “Would your body language be supporting your message, enhancing your message, helping you come across in the best way possible?”