General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAlright. 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.
tblue37
(65,550 posts)<iframe width="660" height="371" src="
?ecver=1" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>malaise
(269,303 posts)dalton99a
(81,707 posts)LuckyCharms
(17,472 posts)captain queeg
(10,298 posts)smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)Ugh! I hate him so much!
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)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)cover his butt and gut.
Historic NY
(37,461 posts)Gabi Hayes
(28,795 posts)Roland99
(53,342 posts)Irish_Dem
(47,961 posts)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)And insecure.
It's his preening self-aggrandizing posture - classic male peacock.
Irish_Dem
(47,961 posts)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)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)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.
treestar
(82,383 posts)And the look on his face is combative. So it's some sort of pre-fight thing maybe.
Irish_Dem
(47,961 posts)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)in his case, I do think it's some kind of unconscious aggressive move, as you said.
Irish_Dem
(47,961 posts)ProudLib72
(17,984 posts)Wounded Bear
(58,783 posts)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.