Body Language Expert: Donald Trump Restrained Himself During Kaitlan Collins Face-Off - Exclusive

On May 10, Donald Trump sat down to speak with CNN's Kaitlan Collins for CNN Town Hall. The talk would quickly become Trump's trademark mess of lies, bullish language, and insults. During the talk, several questions were dodged about Trump's legal troubles by Trump himself. He also refused to admit that some of his larger lies, like the accusation of the 2020 election being "rigged," were indeed false. The atmosphere was tense throughout as Trump and Collins went head to head — but what exactly was his body language telling viewers?

Speaking exclusively to The List, Jess Ponce III, body language expert, communication coach, and author of "A.W.E.S.O.M.E," revealed what Trump was really feeling during his interview with Collins. Referring to a point within the talk in which both Collins and Trump stood, Ponce stated, "In addition to having a big personality, [Trump] also has a big stature. It's interesting how the two of them stood up. People typically do this when they need to release energy, for example in an argument. When you stand your body can express itself more fully. When one has a moving part of their body, such as a twitching leg, that is a sign of stored energy. In other words, he has excess emotion that he is trying to keep in check."

Trump additionally called Collins a "nasty person," an action that received cheers from the mostly Republican and/or undeclared voter-audience when he did so. Instead of responding to the insult, Collins asked Trump if he could instead answer the question about why he still had documents that had previously been subpoenaed by the government.

Trump did not stop at insulting Collins, though. He also mocked author E. Jean Carroll, to more cheers from the audience. This behavior came just a day after Trump was found liable for abuse during the sexual abuse lawsuit brought against him by Carroll. Despite this, Ponce believes Trump was holding back. "He is trying to control his reaction. For example, instead of going on the attack more, he is staying measured (by Trump standards). More so it is an awareness that he cannot go the extent he wants to, which also brings a sense of frustration," he told The List. 

CNN may have hoped for a more balanced discussion, but it's safe to say that this Town Hall was not a success.