what does it mean? They weren't really; not yet. To those who loved John Kennedy the transition of power seemed needlessly cruel. Certainly it was harsh. It couldn't be otherwise; the brutal murder had guaranteed that. Consolidating the two groups on one airplane was to prove extremely unfortunate, and aspects of Johnson's behavior in shock may have proved exacerbating, but the difficulty there was largely one of manners and mannerisms. Johnson was not himself that afternoon. 】 what does "may have proved exacerbating"mean?