--- title: Republican Convention: Donald Trump Points at Things description: Donald Trump has a habit of cocking his thumb and index finger like a boy with a pretend gun and pointing at his close friends and allies. canonical: https://time.com/4413512/republican-convention-donald-trump-pointing/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-19T20:43:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:43:53.112Z article:section: Politics og:title: How Trump Points at His Friends og:description: The meaning of a very specific gesture. og:url: https://time.com/4413512/republican-convention-donald-trump-pointing/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbe394f8c513ab1e0/69889c95a988cae1cb6b8ad2/donald-trump-pointing-habit-campaign-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Republican National Convention: Day One og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How Trump Points at His Friends twitter:description: The meaning of a very specific gesture. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbe394f8c513ab1e0/69889c95a988cae1cb6b8ad2/donald-trump-pointing-habit-campaign-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Donald Trump Points at His Friends > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Ryan Teague Beckwith / Cleveland](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith / Cleveland Jul 19, 2016 8:43 PM UTC  Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump gestures to his wife Melania after she delivered a speech on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on July 18, 2016. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump gestures to his wife Melania after she delivered a speech on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on July 18, 2016. Joe Raedle—Getty Images by [Ryan Teague Beckwith / Cleveland](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith / Cleveland Jul 19, 2016 8:43 PM UTC Few political figures have as expressive body language as Donald Trump. Whether it’s shrugging his shoulders or grimacing at his rivals, the presumptive Republican nominee uses his entire body to make a point. And sometimes, he just points. In particular, Trump has a habit of cocking his thumb and index finger like a boy with a pretend gun and pointing at his close friends and allies. The unspoken message might be translated loosely as: “This guy, amirite?” Trump even made the gesture while introducing his wife, Melania, before her keynote speech at the Republican national convention on Monday night. Here are some photos of Trump pointing at his friends.  Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump gestures to his wife Melania after she delivered a speech on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on July 18, 2016. Joe Raedle—Getty Images  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets Indiana Gov. Mike Pence at the Grand Park Events Center in Westfield, Ind. on July 12, 2016. Aaron P. Bernstein—Getty Images  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is joined on stage by former Indiana University basketball coach Bob Knight at a campaign event at the Old National Events Plaza in Evansville, Ind. on April 28, 2016. Aaron Bernstein—Reuters  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump points at a supporter at a polling place for the presidential primary in Manchester, N.H. on Feb. 9, 2016. Rick Wilking—Reuters  Republican presidential Donald Trump welcomes a supporter on stage at Stevens High School in Claremont, N.H. on Jan. 5, 2016. Scott Eisen—Getty Images  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump points to the American flag as he takes the stage to speak to a campaign town hall at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, N.H. on Aug. 19, 2015. Mary Schwalm—AP  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump points to Jason Szkup's "Trump 2016" tattoo as he autographs copies of his new book, entitled "Crippled America," at Trump Tower, in New York City on Nov. 3, 2015. 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