Obama-O'Reilly Handshake: 'A Severe Power Struggle,' Says Body Language Expert (VIDEO)
During Bill O'Reilly's pre–Super Bowl interview with Barack Obama, it was hard not to notice the two men's body language. For most of their conversation, O'Reilly was leaning forward, almost as if he were going to leap from his chair, whereas Obama sat back in his seat with his legs crossed.Body language expert Tonya Reiman broke down the interview on 'The O'Reilly Factor' (weekdays, 8PM ET on Fox News),
"Kind of like a pounce position," was how she described O'Reilly being on the edge of his chair. Obama, on the other hand, was more closed off, according to her, because he was expecting tough questions.
But what really fascinated Reiman was the handshake at the end of the interview. She had it played in slow motion, and it showed Obama pulling O'Reilly toward him, when they first grabbed hands. Then O'Reilly turned his hand over, to prevent any further pulling.
"A severe power struggle," "a little tug-of-war" and "a power struggle between two alpha men" was how Reiman described the handshake.
We can't disagree that it looked like something was going on in that handshake. However, it's also possible that all handshakes take on an epic quality when played in slow motion.
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