Speech experts reveal if Donald Trump or Kamala Harris is more exhausted, panicky about election results
Body language experts have analyzed the US presidential candidates’ final rallies and said one appears more exhausted than the other.
Both Vice President Harris, 60, and former President Trump, 78, continued to campaign on the eve of election day, maligning one another, and pitching their visions for the future to crowds of voters.
Experts told DailyMail.com that Mr Trump – who did four rallies on Monday compared to Harris’ five – appeared to have ‘low energy’ while Ms Harris was ‘feeding off momentum’, albeit while looking pretty tired herself.
This follows an analysis of the two candidates’ speech patterns, which suggested that Trump was showing slightly more signs of panic as the polls approached.
Using artificial intelligence, the site WordTips found that 21.2 percent of Trump’s words and 19.3 percent of Harris’s words showed signs of stress when they spoke without a script.
Meanwhile, Blair Huddy, CEO of public relations strategy firm Hudson Davis Communications, said the Harris campaign’s messaging during her Monday blitz ‘was on point’ whereas Trump’s ‘were garbled and confusing… his communication style was low energy.’
Dr Robi Ludwig, a psychotherapist based in New York City, said Harris appeared more ‘coiffed’ and ‘together’ than her opponent last night, adding that she ‘has a script that she sticks to stay on message.’
Kamala Harris has been able to keep energy up at her rallies, though she does look tired, experts told DailyMail.com. She is pictured at a Monday campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Experts told DailyMail.com that at this point in the campaign, Mr Trump is ‘low energy’. He is pictured at a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Dr Ludwig said that Trump’s meandering speeches on Monday reflects myriad factors that don’t work in his favor – his advanced age, constant attacks on his character, two attempted assassinations, and being in less-than-optimal physical shape.
She said: ‘Sometimes, when you are exhausted, you are less regulated, and so is his kind of long talk.
‘He seems to enjoy it; he likes the audience. But there are other factors that he has to deal with that are very different. And at his rallies, he’s talking for the whole two hours.’
She added that his rallies don’t really focus on entertainment—it’s more about him talking and connecting directly with the crowd in a raw, unpolished way.
While he does seem to enjoy engaging with his audience and sometimes brings guests to speak with him, it’s easy to imagine that this approach could be more draining than Harris’, who sticks to the script, keeps her message succinct, and whose rallies are, according to Dr Ludwig, a ‘well-oiled machine.’
Mr Trump held rallies in Raleigh, North Carolina, Reading, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Grand Rapids, Michigan on Monday.
Ms Harris, meanwhile, rallied voters in Scranton, Allentown, Reading, Rankin, and Philadelphia, all in Pennsylvania.
After analyzing both sets of speeches, Lakesha Cole, who has worked with politicians as the founder of public relations agency ShePR, told DailyMail.com that while Mr Trump’s attitude is typically bombastic, defiant, and spectacle-driven, he appeared much more subdued on Monday, often speaking in a low, wistful tone.
But Ms Cole added that there is no doubt both candidates, Harris included, are tired.
‘It’s hard to believe that both candidates aren’t dealing with some serious fatigue or exhaustion at this point.
‘One of them has been running for president for almost nine years, while the other has been sprinting to catch up in just over 100 days.
It is also worth noting, experts said, that at 78, it could be expected for Mr Trump to show some lag in energy.
The packed schedule he has maintained in recent weeks have led to little sleep and a lot of physical exertion.
Ms Harris ‘created energy’ at her gatherings, communications experts said, albeit while looking pretty tired. She is pictured in Philadelphia
Mr Trump, pictured in Grand Rapids, Michigan, held four rallies on Monday, Election Day Eve. His rally in Michigan began at 10:30 pm
AI speech analysis of leading politicians’ speeches shows that Donald Trump displays relatively low markers of stress in his language, which might reflect confidence in his speaking style.
VP Harris, meanwhile, has had only 100 days to Trump’s four years to rally voters and curry the favor of those who remain undecided.
Ms Cole added: ‘When you think about how intense that is, it’s almost impossible to imagine she isn’t exhausted. The pace, pressure, and demands of the campaign trail would wear anyone down.’
At an October 31 speech, the 60-year-old looked gaunt and exhausted, and a stolen yawn on Marine Two days earlier signaled the obvious – the veep needs more sleep.
Some clues are pointing to each campaign’s overall stress levels in the lead-up to the election by ranking them on vocabulary.
The analysis of 2024 U.S. presidential candidates’ language by WordTips found that Donald Trump has one of the smallest vocabularies, with around 409 unique words per 1,000 words.
The analysis of stress levels found that Donald Trump displays relatively low markers of stress in his language, which might reflect confidence in his speaking style.
Kamala Harris, however, shows moderate stress indicators, possibly suggesting a more cautious or carefully measured approach.
