VLADIMIR Putin emerged “dominant” and “at ease” in the face of a “fawning and gullible” Tucker Carlson during their much-hyped interview, a body language expert said.
Professor Patrick Stewart told The Sun that “unprepared” schoolboy-like TV host Carlson failed to put up any fight as the Russian tyrant waged a “mental battle of attrition”.
The Russian leader’s painful and rambling two-hour interview with Carlson was released last night and has already been watched over 74million times.
The controversial TV pundit sold it as a means for the American public to see the “truth” of the Ukraine war after two years of what he blasted as “one-sided” narratives fed by Western media.
But in reality, Putin sat down to weave yet another baseless web of lies, launching a lengthy tirade about Russian history, before laying into Nato and threatening to propel the world towards global catastrophe.
Stewart, an expert in dissecting behaviour and body language from the University of Arkansas, said it was laced with plenty of tell-tale signs of a tyrant at ease – one that didn’t fear any kind of challenge from US commentator Carlson.
He argued: “It was not an interview. Tucker Carlson was an audience of one that was gullible, if not fawning, in his approach to Vladimir Putin.”
He noted that Putin was easily able to “define the terms of the agreement, dominate attention and wear down Carlson”.
Dissecting his body language, Stewart said that Putin showed off his “relaxed” state by immediately taking off his watch and setting it on the table between himself and Carlson.
It sent a powerful message that “time was not an issue”.
From there, he added: “Putin did not face much of a challenge, dominating the conversation with ease.
“Carlson reminded me of a student who had not done their homework and could only ask questions that built-on or supported the speaker. ”
Even when Carlson pursued tougher topics, Stewart analysed how Putin navigated them with purposeful dodge tactics – using humour and laughter to avoid answering.
When asked about whether he felt a threat from the West, including a nuclear threat, Stewart saw how Putin’s hands twitched and went to his face, suggesting some level of discomfort.
“Putin exhibited a displacement behaviour with his fist near his forehead before extending his fingers, and pushing it away,” he said.
However, the Kremlin boss quickly recovered by shooting back: “Are we going to have a serious talk or a show?”
This, Stewart said, caused “Carlson to laugh, whereupon Putin went back to answering the question he wanted to”.
This tactic was repeated when Carlson asked whether Russia was behind the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in September, 2022.
“Putin laughed then joked about Carlson personally being responsible,” Stewart noted, saying that it was an easy way to move the conversation away from dangerous waters.
In short, Stewart saw that Carlson was no match for the “at ease” Russian ruler.
He said: “Putin engaged in a mental battle of attrition that Carlson was quite obviously not prepared for.”
Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/10337277/body-language-experts-dominant-putin-carlson/