The mystery of Donald Trump's obesity
One of the characteristics of Donald Trump is his body language. The US president makes very characteristic gestures. And, among them, there is something that he always highlights: when he gestures, he only moves his forearms, wrists and hands. Never the upper part of his arms, which falls perpendicular from the shoulders, parallel to the thorax. It's something he takes to the extreme. For example, when he turns around or looks sideways, Trump tends to move his whole body. That is, he does not turn the waist.
The key to those particular movements comes down to one word: shoulder pads. The American president is obese, but he doesn't want that to be seen on television. At least, in his official appearances. The few photos there are of Trump playing golf show a gentleman with a belly much more in line with his 72 years of age, which makes him the oldest president in US history, despite his tailored suits, his transplanted hair, and her makeup hide it very well.
His chief of staff, General John, would like the president to be fully operational in the Oval Office by 9 a.m. But, according to Haberman and Thrush, he hasn't made it. At least still. And it is that the chaotic White House of Bill Clinton seems an example of Prussian discipline next to that of Donald Trump.
This is how the president often calls to comment on his tweets to his friends in New York. He contacts them to ask them questions about political issues, or simply to chat with them or comment on his latest tweet. In June, he called to tell them that he had written the ideal tweet about the investigation of the Russian plot: "This is the biggest 'witch hunt' in US history." His interlocutors were quick to tell him that the tweet was not only not great, but it probably wasn't going to change anything. And so it has been.
Trump usually wears Italian suits (another irony in someone who claims to defend US industry) Brioni, whose price ranges between 5,000 and 8,000 dollars (4,250 to 6,800 euros) each. To disguise the pear-shaped - that is, pear-shaped - character of his anatomy, his tailors exaggerate his shoulders so that the suit falls in a straight line. This forces you to keep your upper arm more or less immobile, and not to rotate your hips, so that the aesthetic effect is not dislodged. Thus, in addition, two additional objectives are achieved. On the one hand, the president appears to have muscle and to be more 'square' than he really is. On the other hand, the suit gives the impression of being slightly larger than it should.
And that is politically important. Because, in the US, in the eighties the fashion for baggy suits prevailed. But very baggy. In the last ten years that trend has shifted towards tight clothing, but only in cities and among young people. I mean, among the Democrats. And therein lies the crux of the matter: Trump did not win in a single town of more than 100,000. Therefore, his objective is to identify himself with a man from a rural area, with a medium-low educational level, who wears a jacket three sizes larger than what would be normal in a city or in Europe.
This is how Donald Trump gives the impression of being younger and fitter than he is. Because another of the president's secrets is his body mass index, that is, the result of dividing a person's weight by his height. If the official version of his height and weight is assumed - 1.90 tall and 106 kilos in weight - this is 29.5, which places him exactly on the border between 'overweight' and 'obese' . If you take the 'unofficial' figures, Trump is 1.85 and weighs at least 120 kilos, putting him squarely in the obese category.
