Body language expert reveals ‘mismatch in power’ in Trump and Anthony Albanese’s smiling selfie
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A leading body language expert has likened the selfie taken by Anthony Albanese and Donald Trump to “a schoolboy and a rockstar,” capturing the contrasting vibes between the two leaders.
On Wednesday afternoon, Anthony Albanese posted a photo on Instagram with the caption, “Good to chat with President Donald Trump at US welcome reception for world leaders attending United Nations General Assembly hosted by @potus and @flotus.”
Both leaders smiled broadly in the selfie, which quickly went viral and had received over 20,000 likes by the time of writing.
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Body language expert Dr Louise Mahler notes contrast between Anthony Albanese and Trump in a selfie
Dr Louise Mahler noted a striking visual contrast between the two leaders in the photo.
She elaborated, “One (Trump) has the dark suit, the blue tie, the teeth and the tan. The other (Albanese) looks like a public servant with a grey suit, big glasses, and the teeth are not as white.”
“There is a mismatch in power. One imagines a school boy and (a) rock star,” Dr Mahler said.
She also offered analysis of their body language. She observed that while Albanese stood upright, Trump appeared slightly hunched forward.
“I imagine Albanese jumped in. He looks like he's moved to that position, jumped in, pressed against Trump, and grabbed the photo,” she said.
In contrast, Trump looked tired, which Dr Mahler said isn’t surprising. “The pinch between the eyebrows would say he's not interested in being there. It's boring, it's duty.”
She added, “The pinch between the eyebrows, the head forward, the false teeth, he doesn't look human.”
Dr Louise Mahler raises concerns about now-viral photo of Anthony Albanese and Trump
Body language expert Dr Louise Mahler has expressed concern over the now-viral photo, suggesting it may be unsettling for Australians despite its cheerful appearance.
Sharing her initial impressions with the Daily Mail, Dr Mahler said her focus was immediately drawn to Prime Minister Albanese.
“Albanese looks so excited, it's not a joke. He is overexcited - that's not a smile, that's delirium,” she remarked. “He looks a bit sycophantic to me. Albanese is beyond hysterical with excitement, but Trump is faking the smile.”
She added that Albanese appears physically eager to be close to Trump, leaning into his side with an expression that’s more than just happy. “His smile is ecstatic – with his mouth wide and the eyes so engaged in the smile it almost looks like he is crying with excitement,” she observed.
Dr Mahler also referenced the “Duchenne smile,” a genuine expression of joy that involves both the mouth and the eye muscles. She noted that Trump’s expression doesn’t fit that description.
She explained, "In that photo, clearly, Trump is not doing the Duchenne smile, he's doing a fake smile which is just the mouth and it has lifted his eyes up. It's not a genuine smile.”
Dr Mahler added, "He looks like a wax model, if I'm honest. The expression on his face is not a natural look. It's not inspired by emotion."
She quipped, "His expression looks like it's very consciously manufactured and therefore, something that someone who was doing a wax model would create."
When will Anthony Albanese and Trump meet next?
Nearly 300 days after Albanese’s inauguration, the Australian Prime Minister and the US President finally met briefly at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, marking a long-awaited encounter.
Albanese was one of many world leaders present at the reception hosted by the president on Tuesday.
Albanese is scheduled to return to the US in late October specifically to meet with Trump face-to-face at the White House. Announcing the trip at a press conference, he confirmed that the meeting had been planned for some time. “We agreed to a meeting some time ago,” he said. “We had another chat about it on the phone, and we’ll have a meeting in Washington DC on October 20.”
With a growing list of differences on issues like global trade and the Middle East, Albanese has significant topics to discuss with Trump. When asked what he planned to raise, he declined to “broadcast everything.”
