Body language expert Greg Hartley told Newsmax Saturday that President Donald Trump’s enthusiasm at the start of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday appeared to fade into visible disappointment by the time the leaders parted ways.
Appearing on “America Right Now,” Hartley described how the interaction began with upbeat gestures from both leaders.
“You see that reach by Putin, the real reach to get a handshake? That shows enthusiasm on his part,” Hartley said.
“Look at how animated his body language is. His hands are rising up into what my partner would call a passion plane from the behavior panel.
“What we’re seeing is he’s excited to be there. I think Trump did the bravo clap. He did the thumbs-up. We’re starting off with a lot of enthusiasm in this very beginning.”
The tone shifted after the two leaders spent three hours in private talks, following which they addressed reporters. Hartley said Trump showed signs of strain while discussing unresolved issues.
“You can see it because Trump’s blink rate increases, which indicates stress when he’s talking about there’s one very sticky one and a couple that they still have to work on,” Hartley said.
“So I don’t know that anyone really got the upper hand. I think that Putin knew what he was willing to give, and Trump was trying to push a little harder.”
By the close of the meeting, Hartley observed a marked change in Trump’s body language compared to the start.
“I think we see Trump reaching out with a very different handshake than he did in the beginning,” Hartley said. “You also see him doing a little mouth grooming, which is an indicator of stress as he moves his mouth and teeth.
“And then Putin looks like he’s happy with the outcome. But I think Trump is less happy. It looks more disappointed than he did in the beginning, where he looked very enthusiastic.”
Robert Wilkie, who sat in Trump’s Cabinet for three years, told Newsmax earlier Saturday he recognized immediately that Trump was dissatisfied with what came out of the meeting.
“After three years in the Cabinet, when I saw that look, I knew that he wasn’t happy,” Wilkie said.
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