Trump’s humor is ‘deliberately deployed’ to dodge MRI questions, says body-language expert

WASHINGTON, DC: Body-language experts analyzed President Donald Trump’s verbal and nonverbal cues during a recent exchange with reporters about his October MRI results, noting a mix of calculated amusement and underlying irritation.

During the interaction aboard Air Force One, Trump shut down reporters’ challenging questions about his health, using humor to criticize the press while confidently insisting he had nothing to hide regarding the MRI.

Expert says Trump uses playful mockery to deflect health questions

Trump’s interaction with the press was marked by an apparent “playfulness” that experts identified as a strategic tool for deflection. Beth Dawson, a communication, body-language, and behavior analyst, told HuffPost, “I see moments of playfulness, but it’s a playfulness rooted in mockery.”

She explained that he chides journalists by calling them “you’re failing,” or claiming “you wouldn’t pass a cognitive test.” She added, “He toys with them, and the crinkle around his eyes tells us he’s genuinely enjoying the performance.”

According to Dawson, this humor is deliberately deployed. She said Trump’s tone “blends authenticity and strategy,” noting, “His laughter is real; his irritation is real. But he deploys both deliberately.”

Dawson said this tactic allows him to “use humor to belittle the premise of the question and to position himself as relaxed and amused, a man so unbothered that he can joke about something as serious as an MRI.”

Trump’s eyes show ‘emotional leakage’ despite playful tone

Despite his attempts to project a relaxed and amused exterior, experts observed subtle nonverbal cues, “cracks that reveal irritation”, that exposed his true emotional response to the topic.

Dawson pointed to his blinking patterns, noting, “At several points, he delivers a sharp cluster of quick blinks, a reliable sign in him that a question has struck a nerve.”

She added, “These rapid blinks aren’t dramatic; they’re quick flashes of emotional leakage. Trump has always been skilled at using humor to brush aside topics he dislikes, but his eyes give away the fact that the subject, in this case his health, still irritates him.” 

Experts say Trump’s head jerk and chin jut reveal hidden tension

Body-language expert Traci Brown emphasized that “Body language isn’t the big cue here, it’s his words.” Trump’s comment, “I have no idea what they looked at,” was flagged by Brown as a key behavioral indicator, noting, “Everyone has an idea, at least a general one, of what they’re getting an MRI for.”

“This is the same thing in investigations that law enforcement listens for…” Brown continued. “The next question should be, ‘What’s your best guess?’”

Dawson pointed to two specific gestures that reinforce a position of dominance. “Movements like this often signal an internal spike of irritation or tension,” Dawson said. “Even though he keeps his tone light, that tiny head jerk suggests the topic lands harder than he wants to show.”

Dawson also noted Trump’s “chin jut.” She explained, “It’s a gesture that communicates that he sees the question as beneath him. It’s the equivalent of an eye-roll, but more forceful, a way of reclaiming status.”

She added, “He chides the reporters and plays with their questions, turning the interaction into a game that he intends to win.”

Expert says Trump works to control narrative through body language

Dawson’s overall analysis suggests that all of Trump’s actions show irritation and “reveal that he is working hard to keep the narrative where he wants it.”

She stated that “Donald Trump uses his entire body, from his eyes to his gestures to the tension in his face, to reshape the tone of the interaction.”

She added, “The result is a familiar mixture of playful banter (mockery) irritation, and unmistakable dominance.” She concluded that his genuine smile, which “frequently appears when he feels socially powerful,” functions not just as an emotion but as “a tactic,” allowing him to frame the MRI question as “something slightly ridiculous, something he can play with.”

Dawson said Trump’s criticism of journalists is also strategic, noting, “The exchange becomes less about addressing his health or offering reassurance, and more about performance, dominance and seizing the opportunity to make fun of the journalists.”

As Dawson summarized, “He may not feel threatened by the question... but he does feel the need to dominate it.”