President Donald Trump sparked a lot of chatter online after firing back at a reporter who asked him about a brutal yet tasty-sounding acronym his tariff policies have inspired.
But body language experts think the president’s nonverbal responses also gave viewers quite a lot to chew on.
On Wednesday, a reporter told Trump that some Wall Street analysts are dismissing his tariff threats with the slogan “TACO,” which stands for “Trump Always Chickens Out.” The mocking acronym references the fact that Trump has announced high tariffs, only to back off shortly after.
The president’s on-again, off-again tariffs have caused markets to tumble and then rise again. The TACO acronym was coined by The Financial Times’ Robert Armstrong.
When the reporter asked Trump to weigh in on the term, the president concluded by sharply chiding her: “Don’t ever say what you said. That’s a nasty question. To me, that’s the nastiest question.”
Trump’s controversial tariff policies have faced criticism from global leaders, several lawsuits and even skepticism from other Republicans and some of his backers. But body language experts think his response to being mocked that he’s “chickened” out on his tariff threats didn’t sit well with him.
When the reporter asked Trump about TACO, the president initially heard “kick out” instead of “chickens out.” When the reporter corrected him, Trump looked away with “slight sadness around his eyes” and ”[twisted] his mouth showing he is upset,” said Patti Wood, a body language and nonverbal communication expert and author of “SNAP: Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language, and Charisma.”
Wood said that when Trump referenced the “chickening out” dig moments later, his body language demonstrated “a lack of confidence and conviction with what he just said.”
“His head tilts, shoulders are down and not up, and his eyes squint and he looks down and away,” she said.
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Trump’s reaction to the TACO acronym demonstrated anger, experts say.
Traci Brown, an author and body language expert, said that Trump showcased a smile that was likely intended to “hide his anger.”
“We see his bottom teeth in this smile more than in his real smiles,” she told HuffPost. “That’s the tell. The other tell of a cover-up is the change of tone in his voice. He uses that when he’s working to create a distraction — as is evidenced by his rambling.”
Denise M. Dudley, a psychologist and author of “Making Relationships Last,” told HuffPost that she believes Trump “sort of goes somewhere else” after he learns about the TACO acronym and said he flashed a “tiny smile of recognition” that was possibly a combination of “embarrassment and the start of an anger sequence.”
“Next, he starts to shake his head in the negative direction; not in an emphatic ‘no’ way, but more in a ‘mad dad who’s disappointed in his kid’ way,” she said.
Karen Donaldson, a communication and body language expert, said that Trump’s body language showed that he was “actively listening” to the reporter’s question, but that when he realized what was actually said, he “showcased a quick smirk” that conveyed he thought what he was hearing was “slightly comical.”
“Then he looked away from the reporter who was asking a question while he spoke, which showcases a disregard for their presence,” she told HuffPost. “It also signals a disinterest for the person and/or what is being said.”
Trump’s nonverbal cues revealed quite a lot when he reprimanded the reporter, according to experts.
Brown said she noticed that immediately before Trump criticized the reporter for her TACO question, he “stands up really straight and puffs his chest out.”
“That’s a power display,” she said. “Then he shrinks as he makes the ‘don’t ever say that’ quote and points. Shrinking doesn’t show confidence. But pointing shows threat. So he’s a bit mixed here.”
Dudley said that Trump frowned during that moment “more than usual” and started “shaking his head in the negative direction.”
“Also, interestingly, he really pauses between ‘don’t ever say’ and ‘what you said,’” she continued. “It’s a pretty long pause, coupled with head shaking and frowning. He’s searching for words and isn’t sure how to finish that sentence. This TACO comment has bothered him.”
Donaldson said that Trump widened his eyes when he told the reporter that her question was “nasty,” which communicates that he’s “intently focused on what he is saying and also wants everyone to be as well.”
“As he speaks, his back straightens up instantly before he relaxes again; that signals that he is highly confident in that moment, paired with what he was saying,” she said. “Then his body language becomes dismissive as he shifted the direction his upper torso was facing.”
Wood said that Trump glared with anger as he told the reporter, “Don’t ever say what you said.”
His brows moved “downward” in an angry fashion, and his mouth was “wide open and snarling,” she said, calling it a “lion snarl.”
Wood said that when Trump called the reporter’s question a “nasty question,” she noticed a “sadness” in his eyes despite the “anger in his voice.”
“His face looks like he might want to cry,” she said.
Overall, Dudley said that she believes Trump appeared “more flustered than usual” throughout his entire response to the reporter.
“I’ve always assumed he has the toughest skin in the world, and that he must love being attacked and attacking back, but in this clip, I think he’s mad,” she said. “Is he mad that his staff hasn’t told him about the TACO thing? Is he mad about the TACO thing itself? Is he mad that the reporter made him look bad? Who knows!”
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