Body language experts reveal 'dominant' Putin's hidden messages in extensive interview with 'creeping' Tucker Carlson
VLADIMIR Putin came across as “dominant” and “at ease” in front of a “obsequious and gullible” Tucker Carlson during their much-hyped interview, a body language expert said.
Professor Patrick Stewart told The Sun that the 'unprepared', schoolboy-like TV presenter failed to put up a fight with the The Russian tyrant waged a 'mental war of attrition'.
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The Russian leader's painful and extensive two-hour interview with Carlson was released last night and has already been viewed more than 74 million times.
The controversial TV pundit sold it as a tool for the American public to see the 'truth' of the war in Ukraine after two years of what he labeled as “one-sided” stories fueled by Western media.
But in truth, Putin sat down to weave another baseless web of lies, creating a lengthy tirade Russian history, before attacking NATO and threatening to push the world towards global catastrophe.
Stewart, an expert in parsing behavior and body language from the University of Arkansas, said it was riddled with many signs of a tyrant at ease – a tyrant who feared no challenge from Carlson.
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He argued: “It wasn't an interview. Tucker Carlson was an audience that was gullible, if not obsequious, in his approach to Vladimir Putin.”
He noted that Putin was easily able to “define the terms of the agreement, dominate attention and weaken Carlson.”
Analyzing his body language, Stewart said Putin showed his “relaxed” state by immediately taking off his watch and placing it on the table between him and Carlson.
It sent a strong message that “time was not an issue.”
From then on, Putin faced no major challenges and dominated the conversation with ease.
“Carlson reminded me of a student who hadn't done his homework and could only ask questions that built on or supported the speaker.”
Even when Carlson asked tougher questions, Stewart analyzed how Putin answered them with deliberate avoidance tactics, using humor and laughter to avoid answers.
When asked if he felt any threat from the West, including a nuclear threat, Stewart saw Putin's hands shake and go to his face, suggesting some level of discomfort.
“Putin showed displacement behavior with his fist close to his forehead before reaching out and pushing away his fingers,” he said.
However, the Kremlin boss quickly recovered by firing back: “Are we going to have a serious talk or a show?”
This, Stewart said, caused “Carlson to laugh, and Putin went back to answering the question he wanted.”
This tactic was then repeated when Carlson asked whether Russia was behind the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in September 2022.
“Putin laughed and then joked about Carlson's personal responsibility,” Stewart noted, saying it was an easy way to steer the conversation out of dangerous waters.
In short, Stewart saw that Carlson was no match for the “at ease” Russian ruler.
“Putin was engaged in a war of mental attrition that Carlson was clearly unprepared for.”
Key moments from the interview:
- Putin claimed that Russia has built an 'unstoppable' missile system
- He threatened to bring the world to the brink of World War III if American boots hit the ground in Ukraine
- Asked about the Russian threat against NATO, Putin replied: 'we have no interest in Poland, Latvia or anywhere else'
- He then blamed an “arrogant” Boris Johnson for the ongoing fighting in Ukraine after making baseless claims that he had sabotaged a peace deal.
- The despot then hinted that the WSJ reporter had been wrongly imprisoned Evan Gershkovich 'could' be released
- When Carlson asked about American involvement in the war, Putin replied, “Don't you have anything better to do?”
- The Kremlin boss also said he 'forgot' the last time he spoke to President Joe Biden
- Putin accused the CIA of blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipeline, but provided no evidence
- The Russian leader quickly shut down Carlson's questions about UFOs and “unnatural forces.”
However, another leading body language expert, Eric Bucy, suggested that there were some cracks in Putin's strongman image.
The professor of Strategic Communications at Texas Tech University said Putin doesn't look completely at ease right now.
He noted that there were elements of discomfort and nervousness when his eyes “searched around the room” or when he “avoided eye contact” with Carlson.
Putin's strange and nervous leg movements were also a possible sign that he could be masking hidden discomfort, the expert added.
Before the long-awaited interview, the BBC's former Moscow correspondent warned The Sun about this Carlson had no idea how dangerous TV smart Putin is.
James Rodgers, a lecturer at City University and author of Assignment Moscow, said Carlson was taking a “big risk.”
“Everyone thinks Putin is a very consummate media artist. He has had a lot of practice after a quarter of a century at the top of Russian politics.”
And by interviewing the man who masterminded two years of grueling war and bloodshed in Ukraine, Carlson should worry about “his legacy,” he argued.
“There is a long history of people deciding to join the Kremlin. But they have to think about how history will judge them.”
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