Along with the president and first lady, Ivanka Trump and her siblings attended an official state banquet with the Queen at Buckingham Palace this week, for reasons no one has quite explained.
The visit was, of course, eventful. Donald Trump attacked London Mayor Sadiq Khan, there were thousands of protestors, Princes William and Harry snubbed the Trumps, and Ivanka got booed outside 10 Downing Street.
There were also plenty of opportunities for our body language expert Patti Wood to do analysis: She picked a video in which Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner are standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, Ivanka looking curiously frozen.
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Ivanka is not exactly known for her exuberant facial expressions or gestures. But why so still? Wood explained that she is not there for the people — she's there for the cameras. "What is stunningly obvious is that she is posing for still photos," said Wood, who is the author of Snap: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma. "She keeps adjusting her hair over and over again and frowns slightly that she can’t keep it in place, which shows she perceives her value to be her appearance rather than her interaction with the crowd. She also adjusts her smile several times as you would in a photo shoot. Even when Jared points, she doesn't follow his finger! It's weird that she just stays frozen. She is not in the moment or enjoying what could be a thrilling experience."
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner stand on Buckingham Palace balcony. #TrumpUKVisit https://t.co/lO6nAfwNye pic.twitter.com/rW5XsZRSZu
— The Hill (@thehill) June 3, 2019
It's notable that Ivanka's participation in the U.K. trip has nothing to do with her title as advisor to the president on education and women's economic empowerment, said Wood. The fact that she's in receptions with royalty, as well as walking out of 10 Downing Street with National Security Advisor John Bolton, "nonverbally gives her power and status above her job title and often makes her appear to have equal status with the much more high-status U.S. officials," said Wood, adding that Ivanka is also benefiting from being the daughter of the president.
"The placement in the environment does not match the power they should have," she said of the balcony video. "This is not normal, but oddly we are watching all this as if it is."
On Wednesday, Ivanka tweeted that she's going to the Hague after London, which delighted the internet.