The political explanation for Donald Trump's navy blue tie
In his first speech before Congress, the president has opted for this color and not for his usual red garment, a change that seems to be part of a political strategy
The president of the United States, Donald Trump, softened the tone in his first speech before Congress on Tuesday, thus moving away from the abrupt style to which he is accustomed. The change was noticeable in his words, but also in his clothing, and that is that the magnate left his usual red tie in the closet to wear another navy blue with white stripes. It is not the first time that the Republican has opted for this color - in the debate against Hillary Clinton in September he also did it - but everything indicates that, at least in this case, his 'look' was not accidental. "These decisions are made," says María José Canel, Professor of Political Communication at the Complutense University of Madrid and an expert in non-verbal language. This intentionality is reflected in the ties chosen by the two Republicans next to the president during the speech, Mike Pence and Paul Ryan, since both also wore blue garments. His party tends to identify with red and the Democrats with blue, so it is unlikely that all three chose this 'look' by chance. "It seems to indicate that it is a tie decision that falls within the set of speech that, before a clearly divided Capitol and in a context of much controversy around its policy, they have wanted to present a more appeasing president, who seeks more peace than usual, "explains Canel.
The expert also points to slight changes in the president's gestures, although she clarifies that it has not been "especially different" in this regard. "The movements have been the usual for him, looking up and a bit like the future, towards the horizon, and raising his hand to fix position and emphasize what he says, thus seeking to be eloquent," she says. Given that the speech has been more moderate, "the movements of his hands have been less aggressive than what he usually does other times," but not for that reason he has been able to resist some provocative gestures, such as when "he pointed out to the leader of the minority of the Democratic Party while criticizing Obamacare. "
Black for the first lady
Beyond the president, it is worth analyzing the black dress that the first lady, Melania Trump, wore, since this election also responds to politics and not to fashion. The Democrats had warned days before that they were going to go to the Lower House in white, in honor of the nineteenth-century suffragettes who made this color a symbol, so the president's wife had no choice but to choose otherwise. "It is intentional that Melania has not been dressed in white, as is usual for her, thus avoiding corroborating the message that the Democrats wanted to give," explains Canel. Another notable aspect of this garment is the designer of it: "It is possible that he decided that the dressmaker of the suit was Michael Kors, who is a well-known American couturier, so that it is within the line of the speech that the president has given of 'America First', the rights of the Americans first, the protection of American culture first and, therefore, an American dressmaker first ", explains the expert.
