Body language expert decodes Trump's 'rage' after being hit in face by reporter with boom mic

Body language expert Darren Stanton weighed in on what Donald Trump was really feeling after a reporter hit him in the face with a boom mic
UPDATED MAR 18, 2025
NPR political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben accidentally hit Donald Trump in the face with a boom mic on the JBA tarmac on Friday, March 14 (Screengrab/Fox News)
NPR political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben accidentally hit Donald Trump in the face with a boom mic on the JBA tarmac on Friday, March 14 (Screengrab/Fox News)

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND: President Donald Trump was hit in the face with a fuzzy boom mic while interacting with reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Friday, March 14. 

Now, a body language expert has decoded what the president was feeling at that moment, according to Unilad.



 

Body language expert points out signs Donald Trump was 'holding back rage' after being hit with a mic

As soon as Donald Trump was accidentally hit in the face by NPR political correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben, he gave her a side-eye before raising his eyebrows and asking someone off camera, "Did you see that?" per the outlet.

The POTUS then added, "She just made television tonight. She just became a big story tonight," letting out a chuckle. 

Body language expert Darren Stanton told Unilad there were signs that Trump was holding back his anger as he was hit in the face on live TV. 

He added that the signs were the "tightening of his eyebrows" and "hardening of his eyes" that "flashed" across his face.

(Screengrab/Fox News)
Donald Trump was trying to hold back his rage after a reporter accidentally hit him in the face with a boom mic, as per body language expert Darren Stanton (Screengrab/Fox News)

The body language expert also observed how Trump bit his lip for a moment and added that this is often a sign of "someone trying to hold back their rage."

He said, "Trump displayed a combination of anger, shock, and disbelief. It flashed across his face for just a second. He was about to draw breath but then bit his lip, almost biting back the rage."

Stanton further noted, "It appeared to be an instinctive reaction coming from a place of anger."

(Screengrab/Fox News)
Darren Stanton analyzed Donald Trump's body language during the Joint Base Andrews incident (Screengrab/Fox News)

The body language expert also said that Trump's emotions were written all over his face and he couldn't hold back his rage "massively well."

"He is a very proud man and it made him look a bit silly. You can also see the tightening of his eyebrows and the hardening of his eyes. This shows he was thrown off his train of thought and that the disruption made him very angry," Stanton explained. 

Reporter who hit Donald Trump with mic driven into hiding after being named by Laura Loomer

On Sunday, far-right political activist and Trump ally Laura Loomer identified NPR correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben as the reporter who hit the president in the face with a microphone while he was while he was speaking with journalists on the JBA tarmac, as per Daily Mail

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 15: Far-right activist Laura Loomer speaks to the media prior to the beginning of former President Donald Trump's Trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 15, 2024 in New York City. Jury selection is set to begin in the former president's criminal trial. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. This is the first-ever criminal trial of a former president of the United States. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
Laura Loomer speaks to the media prior to the beginning of President Donald Trump's trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 15, 2024, in New York City (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Loomer insinuated Kurtzleben may have hit Trump on purpose, per the outlet. 

The conservative influencer wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "I have identified the reporter who hit President @realDonaldTrump in the face with a boom mic this week while he was speaking to the press on the tarmac."



 

Loomer added, "Her name is Danielle Kurtzleben @titonka. She is the newly appointed White House reporter for @NPR and a massive Trump hater and LGBTQ advocate who once suggested during the 2024 campaign that Trump only spoke in Howell, Michigan because it has ties to the KKK."

She concluded with the question, "Did she hit President Trump in the face on purpose?"

Kurtzleben has since made her X account private and has yet to speak about the incident, per the outlet. 

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