Let’s explain with our fingers: what politicians’ gestures mean, says profiler

Niccolo Machiavelli said in his famous work “The Prince”, “To understand the essence of the people, it is necessary to be sovereign, and to understand the nature of the rulers, it is necessary to belong to the people.” Today, state leaders and politicians consciously build their image to climb the career ladder.

They work carefully on their image to gain the sympathy and support of voters on behalf of the government. A competitive environment does not always allow politicians to find a balance between the desire to meet the needs of the people and the ambitions of fans who can turn into rivals at any moment.

This is especially true in international politics, where the interests of different countries conflict. And it is even more interesting to watch how state leaders play their game. We make unintentional guesses about what this or that word of a particular president means. After all, the development and well-being of every citizen depends on how relations with a particular state develop.

For this reason, not only the words and clothes of politicians, but also their gestures and facial expressions attract attention. There is even a whole direction in psychology: profiling, which helps predict people’s behavior based on non-verbal signals.

On the eve of the 2024 Russian presidential elections, profiler Alexey Krutilin told The Fashion Vibes exclusively what the politicians’ gestures mean.

Alexey Krutilin, profiler

Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin is a strategically minded man. It is important for him to keep in mind the global goal of developing the country and taking it to a new level.

Therefore, dominance gestures are used, such as shaking hands with the palm over the interlocutor’s hand. It also shows the president’s stress by coughing sideways and bending objects such as a pen in his hand.

“In communication, Vladimir Vladimirovich often uses sign gestures and generalizes words in speech. Krutilin, also a profiler, likes to resort to metaphors and Russian idioms such as “There’s little use in squealing too much” and “Even a tuft of wool from the black sheep.”

You can immediately understand that Putin does not like something – then the president rubs his chin with his hand, looks from under his eyebrows, or seems to lean on the table with both hands. In general, facial expressions and poses are quite expressive.

In front of the public, he presents himself as the master of the situation. This is evidenced by his posture when he sits with his legs and arms wide towards the interlocutor. Another favorite gesture of Vladimir Vladimirovich is the pads of the index finger and thumb brought together, as if he decided to salt the food. This indicates a desire to draw the audience’s attention to your words.

Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping is a strong leader who knows how to defend his position. He is silent and has no dynamic facial expressions. Thanks to his phlegmatic temperament, he easily hides his intentions. He also appears to deliberately dress and act according to Western standards.

“Xi Jinping may seem tough on the surface, but he is actually a soft man at heart. Due to the Eastern mentality, he does not show bright gestures, because this is a sign of weakness,” explained the profiler.

The most common way to see the Chinese leader is by clasping his hands and interlacing his fingers. This shows he’s hiding something. Periodically keeping his hands folded as if in prayer is a sign of gratitude.

He typically uses communist gestures when addressing his people; He raises his fist and makes a large gesture with his hand. In this way, he is trying to rally people around him and show that he intends to see the issue through to the end. He greets leaders of other countries with his hand, as if his elbow is glued to his body, which speaks of distrust and desire to keep distance.

Donald Trump

Former US President Donald Trump has a distinct demonstrative personality type. His behavior, his bright red tie and his appearance tell us this. She can dance without caring about the critics.

“He can easily withstand pressure from his opponents and is not afraid to make unpopular decisions. For example, building a wall on the Mexican border or cooperating with Russia, despite all the accusations against him,” explains Alexey Krutilin.

Like many Americans, his favorite gesture is “everything’s okay” with his index finger and thumb bent together and the rest pointing to the sides. Trump also likes power moves, such as punching the air, which signal victory over opponents.

“Trump is a self-sufficient person who knows exactly what is best for him. He is a successful entrepreneur and leader of the country. Accordingly, in his arsenal there are many pointing gesture-illustrators, which, by the way, completely coincide with what they say. This shows sincerity,” explained the profiler.

One of my favorite gestures is an arm extended forward, like on posters of Vladimir Lenin. His speech and body signals are very expressive. You can trust him because his feelings and words are no different: he is quite straightforward.

Joe Biden

US leader Joe Biden is a person with pronounced psychopathic tendencies. Even though he now has dementia, he’s always been like this. Moreover, he is a narcissist.

“Biden frequently uses explanatory gestures. This is especially noticeable when he greets invisible people on the podium,” explained the profiler.

Repetitive gestures when she stands on the podium include slowly waving her arms bent at the same level. Sometimes Biden accompanies this by raising two index fingers. In this way, he is trying to attract public attention and show that everything will be fine.

“When he lies, his non-verbal body signals are inconsistent with what he says. It is difficult for him to control this due to his age. For example, he draws silhouettes with his finger and hand in addition to the words, as if he is trying to convince himself before words,” the expert gave an example.

A beautiful gesture of Biden’s lies is his habit of touching his mouth with his hand.

Vladimir Zelensky

Zelensky is a determined and addictive person. At the same time, he is forced to constantly lie in order to arouse the sympathy of Ukrainians and leaders of other states.

“It is clear that Zelensky is completely out of place. And another important detail: Zelensky, as an actor, seems to be actively gesturing, but his words contradict what he is pointing at with his body,” emphasized Alexey Krutilin.

In his public speeches, the President of Ukraine uses the “hand in hand” gesture, which shows the sincerity of the words. True, its excessive use, on the contrary, makes one think that the gesture is “educated”. The same goes for open palms, which seem to indicate: “I have nothing to hide.” At the same time, he often touches his face and clothes in a more relaxed state, which is a sign of insincerity.

Emmanuel Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron is a hysterical person prone to narcissism and narcissism. This is shown by the habit of touching various elements of clothing (tie, buttons, collar and jacket lapels).

“It’s obvious that she loves showing off her looks. In general, he has a good asthenic physique. She considers herself the smartest and most attractive person, and it shows. “It is no coincidence that they say that he does not like to be photographed with those of lower status,” said Alexey Krutilin.

He also seems to be trying to captivate with his grandeur when communicating with people and politicians. During conversation, he likes to bring his hands to his chin and look up slightly, expressing genuine interest. To create a special atmosphere of trust, he likes to greet with a “glove” handshake, in which the palm of the other hand is placed on top of the interlocutor’s hand.

Recep Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Erdoğan is an extremely hysterical person who is prone to ostentation due to his mentality. At the same time, he will never miss his profit.

“Remember the memes that Erdogan is trying to sit in not just two, but three, four or more chairs and trying to please Russia, China, Ukraine and America. “He tries to be friends with everyone and does not take a clear position, so as not to argue with anyone,” said profiler Krutilin.

In his meetings with state leaders, Recep Erdoğan does not use the dominance greeting, and sometimes even touches his interlocutor’s elbow as if to show that he is a friend. This is how the head of Azerbaijan treats Ilham Aliyev.

Although the President of Turkey can be quite harsh in his speeches, as the bearer of Eastern culture, he thinks one thing and says another, without revealing his true thoughts to anyone. At the same time, he is quite sincere and uncompromising on some issues, such as the oppression of Muslims in Europe.

“When he swears, there is harmony in his gestures, that is, his gestures match his words. This speaks of sincerity,” emphasized the expert.

This can be seen in the way he vigorously waves his hand with his index finger pointing down in front of the public. You can see how he is boiling with rage and rage right now.