Body Language Expert Tells Us Ivanka Trump Couldn't Hide Her Tension Ahead Of Trial Testimony

Ivanka Trump has been distancing herself from her dad since he left the White House. However, she's very much back in the thick of Donald Trump's ongoing legal issues; he's been indicted four times and is facing multiple criminal counts. 

One of the first cases to go to trial is the $250 million fraud case against the Trump organization in New York, and Ivanka was called to testify in the case. The judge already determined that fraud took place when it came to Trump and his company overvaluing certain company assets to get better bank and insurance rates, and what's at stake in the trial is how much they should be penalized.

Ivanka managed to walk away scot-free from the New York lawsuit against her family when it came to being a defendant — Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Eric Trump are all co-defendants — but she couldn't get out of testifying. Her appearance in court on November 8, 2023, came after the judge had already heard testimony from her brothers and her dad. 

Jess Ponce III, body language expert, communication coach, and author of "A.W.E.S.O.M.E.: Seven Keys to Unlocking the Speaker Within," told us what he noticed as Ivanka arrived in New York to testify. "As always, Ivanka was on point with her hair, makeup and attire," Ponce III said. "She looked sharp and professional. Yet, unlike other press appearances, this 'event' was different. She and her family were under deep scrutiny, and she did not seem comfortable."

There has been plenty of attention on the Trump family as the New York fraud trial against Donald Trump and his company has unfolded. That attention extended to Ivanka Trump's arrival at the courthouse to testify about what she knew and didn't know about the Trump company's fraudulent statements on financial documents. 

While Ivanka has grown up with plenty of attention as a socialite and member of the Trump family, the attention she got as she arrived from the small crowd that had gathered in New York may not have been the kind of attention she wanted or was used to.

"Exiting her car as she walked toward the courthouse," Jess Ponce III said, "[Ivanka] did her best not to pay attention to the crowd. But she couldn't help but look up a few times as they chanted. She did not quite know how to respond. She was tense and awkward. In moments where she would normally wave or say hello to the crowd, she kept looking forward." 

Considering that some in the crowd were chanting, "crime family" as Ivanka made her way into the New York courthouse, it would make sense that Ivanka wouldn't want to say anything.

Overall, for Jess Ponce III, it seems like Ivanka Trump was definitely not happy at having to be there. "Ivanka was definitely out of her element," Ponce III told us. "More used to red carpet fanfare, she didn't make any gestures or comments to onlookers. You could see in her tense posture, occasional glances, and steady gait that she just wanted to get past the press. For someone who is used to press attention, it seemed as though she despised it in this moment. This leads one to wonder what's worse for her, testifying or not being admired by the crowd?"

Ivanka has worked over the years to create a personal image of a hard-working but also glamorous mother and businessperson, but that image was dinged during Donald Trump's time as president. Perhaps because of that, Ivanka has said she's staying out of politics during her father's ongoing third run for the presidency. She seemed to be getting back to her A-list socialite status in 2023 after being photographed at Kim Kardashian's birthday party.

Overall, Ivanka having to show up to court doesn't seem like one of the headline-making appearances she's hoping to have, though we still don't know how the trial will impact Ivanka and her family. From the looks of it, Ivanka just wants it all to be over and to be left out of it.