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LuckyCharms

(17,472 posts)
Sun Jan 21, 2018, 09:41 AM Jan 2018

Alright. Question about Trump's preening.

What the shit is that thing he does sometimes with his lapels? Sometimes when he gets out of a car or plane or moves from one situation to another, he kind of flaps his lapels with both hands. Know what I mean? It reminds me of someone shooting their cuffs, but that has a purpose. What he does with his lapels does not seem to have a purpose. He just kind of puffs his chest out and flaps his lapels.

Is this some kind of unconscious aggressive move? He looks like a douche when he does it. Well, I mean more of a douche than normal.

23 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Alright. Question about Trump's preening. (Original Post) LuckyCharms Jan 2018 OP
You mean this? tblue37 Jan 2018 #1
Yes - the perfect video of this uncouth pieec of shit malaise Jan 2018 #2
A classic dalton99a Jan 2018 #3
LOL that's it. LuckyCharms Jan 2018 #5
The very first thing I thought of, classic fat worthless POS captain queeg Jan 2018 #11
He is SUCH A DICK! smirkymonkey Jan 2018 #14
He's giving his jacket a yank to pull it back into place Spider Jerusalem Jan 2018 #4
He's too fat to comfortably button it, and besides, he wants the loose hang to tblue37 Jan 2018 #10
Girth, to hide the girth. Historic NY Jan 2018 #6
Girth units! Gabi Hayes Jan 2018 #8
Ah ha ha ha ha. Love him! Roland99 Jan 2018 #9
Looks like he was insecure/self conscious after being aggressive and also hiding his weight. Irish_Dem Jan 2018 #7
Pretty much the opposite of self-conscious Ms. Toad Jan 2018 #12
His grandiosity covers a very fragile ego. He is a fragile narcissist. Irish_Dem Jan 2018 #13
I don't disagree with your personality assessment, Ms. Toad Jan 2018 #21
He does the same thing in meetings, crosses his arms and juts his chin out. Irish_Dem Jan 2018 #22
It looks arrogant treestar Jan 2018 #15
Yes. When he feels out of place he gets hostile, crosses his arms, or uses his arms Irish_Dem Jan 2018 #17
It's just one step away from beating his chest Phentex Jan 2018 #16
yes, almost defiant. nt Irish_Dem Jan 2018 #20
I ARE tRUMP! GET OUTA MY WAY!!! ProudLib72 Jan 2018 #18
It's a modern equivalent of... Wounded Bear Jan 2018 #19
He's making sure that his (alleged) 239 pounds are adequately contained Orrex Jan 2018 #23

tblue37

(65,550 posts)
1. You mean this?
Sun Jan 21, 2018, 09:59 AM
Jan 2018

<iframe width="660" height="371" src="

?ecver=1" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

Spider Jerusalem

(21,786 posts)
4. He's giving his jacket a yank to pull it back into place
Sun Jan 21, 2018, 10:04 AM
Jan 2018

because he apparently doesn't know you're supposed to button the top button on your suit jacket (or the top two buttons, if it's a three-button jacket). Or maybe he doesn't so you can see the silken glory of his extra-long tie.

tblue37

(65,550 posts)
10. He's too fat to comfortably button it, and besides, he wants the loose hang to
Sun Jan 21, 2018, 11:06 AM
Jan 2018

cover his butt and gut.

Irish_Dem

(47,961 posts)
7. Looks like he was insecure/self conscious after being aggressive and also hiding his weight.
Sun Jan 21, 2018, 10:28 AM
Jan 2018

If you look at the clip in totality, you can see him coming up from behind in the crowd
He literally pushes people out of the way so he can be at the front of the crowd.

Once he is in front of the crowd, he stops in front of photographers. He looks
suddenly insecure and self-conscious. Like what do I do now? He thinks to pull his jacket
around him in a protective move an also to hide his weight.

Ms. Toad

(34,127 posts)
12. Pretty much the opposite of self-conscious
Sun Jan 21, 2018, 01:25 PM
Jan 2018

And insecure.

It's his preening self-aggrandizing posture - classic male peacock.

Irish_Dem

(47,961 posts)
13. His grandiosity covers a very fragile ego. He is a fragile narcissist.
Sun Jan 21, 2018, 01:30 PM
Jan 2018

Deeply wounded at the slightest affront and needs constant adoration to prop him up.
Constantly needs to devalue his imagined enemies.

My viewpoint is a clinical one that goes deeper than what is seen on the surface.

Some narcissists do have deep robust self-confidence, but Trump is not one of them.

Ms. Toad

(34,127 posts)
21. I don't disagree with your personality assessment,
Sun Jan 21, 2018, 01:51 PM
Jan 2018

Which shows up in his need to see only positive coverage about himself, his need to destroy anything Obama, from inaugural crowd size to DACA, his worship me cabinet meetings - although moreso in the fact that those who work for him feel the need to stage their interactions with him to avoid a two-year old style melt-down.

But this particular affectation isn't a pull-the-coat-around-me-for-protection. It is classic peacock preening. If it was based in what you suggest, rather than puffing himself up to appear bigger, his posture would have changed in the opposite direction (curling in, rather than puffing his chest out and jutting his jaw).

Irish_Dem

(47,961 posts)
22. He does the same thing in meetings, crosses his arms and juts his chin out.
Sun Jan 21, 2018, 01:55 PM
Jan 2018

I think it is both grandiose as you suggest but also defensive.

The grandiosity, bravado and preening is a cover up for his fragile core.
I am just taking what you see down another layer.

He is like an onion, he has several layers.

Irish_Dem

(47,961 posts)
17. Yes. When he feels out of place he gets hostile, crosses his arms, or uses his arms
Sun Jan 21, 2018, 01:37 PM
Jan 2018

to make angry gestures.

I think he gets angry because he is in over his head, doesn't understand the rules,
and feels out of control.

Phentex

(16,334 posts)
16. It's just one step away from beating his chest
Sun Jan 21, 2018, 01:36 PM
Jan 2018

in his case, I do think it's some kind of unconscious aggressive move, as you said.

Wounded Bear

(58,783 posts)
19. It's a modern equivalent of...
Sun Jan 21, 2018, 01:40 PM
Jan 2018

hooking your thumbs in your suspenders and pulling them out.

On the one hand, it's "adjusting your clothing." OTOH, it's suggesting the puffing out of the chest like a rooster pushes out its chest feathers to look bigger.

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