Prior to becoming the first sitting President to attend the Super Bowl, Donald Trump sat down for an interview with Fox News. And while his trademark confidence and enthusiasm was on full display, a renowned body language expert said Trump also showed cracks when asked tougher questions.
Key Takeaways
- Finger tapping following question about cabinet picks from first presidency suggests "anxiety and potential regret"
- Raised eyebrow, open-palmed expressions say Trump trusts Elon Musk with investigating key governmental departments
- Gazing just off-camera while responding to Canada/annexation question suggests Trump seeks public approval for potential tariffs
- "Squeezebox gestures" reveal supreme confidence in decision to ban transgender athletes from competing in women's sports
Truthplane founder Mark Bowden told Covers that Trump "gave a controlled and comparatively easy performance in a friendly interview that delivered no hardball questions or aggressive attitude from the interviewer." But Bowden said the interview also showed glimpses of a president that seeks greater acceptance while subtly acknowledging that he made mistakes in his first term.
After fielding a couple of softer questions to kick off the pre-Super Bowl interview with Bret Baier, Trump was faced with his first more serious issue: Failures among several key cabinet nominations in his first go-around as president.
"We see more defensive behavior when Trump starts tapping his fingers together more nervously in his steepled pose when talking about his cabinet picks from his first presidency, referencing the 'tremendous opposition' he faced in Washington," Bowden said.
"This finger tapping gesture hints at anxiety and possibly regret about those initial selections – people he suggests he did not know well enough. His head reels back at this point, and his eyes squint as he states that he was a “New York person, not a Washington person” – again marking himself out as an outsider to D.C. political circles and leaking a feeling of exclusion."
Trump trusts Musk – and wants Americans to do the same
Trump remained guarded when addressing another serious question: Whether he felt that billionaire Elon Musk might do more harm than good to the Trump government. Trump has tapped Musk to look into several major governmental departments while creating a new one just for Musk: the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
"When the topic turned to 'irreparable harm' that an unrestricted Elon Musk could cause with DOGE, Trump said he disagreed '100 percent', calmly asserting his position and showing disdain with an asymmetrical mouth upturn," Bowden told Covers. "He dismissed the 'list' of 'things' he could read as 'ridiculous' – expenses he believed were wrongly paid for by the American people.
"His raised eyebrow on 'Look, I ran on this' signaled to the interviewer and audience that allowing Musk to do what he needs to do aligns with what Americans elected him for. He reinforced this with open-palmed gestures, signaling trust in Musk; his gestures expanded further when he stated, 'We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars' –stressing vocally, with sharp volume and rhythm changes, the magnitude of 'fraud, waste, abuse.'"
Trump "seeking understanding and even approval" on Canada tariffs
Bowden noted a "behavioral shift" when the line of questioning turned to tariffs on Canada, and whether the notion that America's northern neighbor could become the 51st state was "a real thing". Trump doubled down on the threat of a Canada annexation – but his body language revealed that he's keenly aware he has fences to mend.
"(He moved) his gaze more towards the camera, seeking understanding and even approval from the American people for the tariffs on Canada that he recognized would hurt ordinary Americans through inflation at grocery stores and gas stations," Bowden said. "His body becomes more frozen and minimized (he contracts inwards slightly) at the same time – this is possibly an unconscious response to a feeling of risk of backlash to this move," Bowden explained.
Trump postponed the tariffs (which were originally slated to take effect Feb. 4) by 30 days, while Canada agreed to boost border security.
Trump confident in transgender athlete ban
Trump wasn't nearly as defensive when discussing the executive order he signed that bans transgender athletes from competing in women's sports.
"Where Trump showed the most optimism – and no need for approval – was towards the end of this segment of the interview, in his excitement when he performed his classic squeezebox gestures – his hands moving apart and together, like playing an accordion," Bowden told Covers. "He did this while saying, 'Men are not going to be allowed to play in sports against women,' a pivot away from the question on how America should come together, which he spun into the theme of 'success' before landing on his recent executive order regarding female sports."
Bowden painted a picture of a president who is ecstatic to be back in the Oval Office, but has also accepted that he has plenty of work to do in his second term.
"Trump, ever the entertainer, was buoyant and animated when it came to putting across his messaging such as the pivot to women’s sport and also the more frivolous aspects of being president in the public eye – his dance, his fans, and the women around him.
"But when it came to discussing trickier maneuvers, like an unrestricted Musk and tariffs that could hurt his voters and alienate the global community, his movements became more controlled, his gaze seeking approval from viewers."
