Trump's 'sneer of disgust' at public event shows he's 'struggling': expert

A "sneer of disgust" from Donald Trump during his recent NFL game attendance could be a sign he is "struggling," an expert on body language said Tuesday.

Judi James told The Mirror US the president was not expecting the negative reception he received during his attendance of a Washington Commanders match at the weekend. Trump was booed by the crowd at the Commanders' match against the Detroit Lions, and the "sneer of disgust" he responded with could be a sign that he didn't know how to deal with it.

James said, "Trump tries a range of contrasting non-verbal responses from his repertoire here, but the way they occur in a short space of time suggests he’s struggling.

"His initial response is an Oxbow Mouth, pulled down hard at the sides to give the impression of a sneer of disgust. His eyes stare forward blankly before he quickly converts to a Bullfrog Smile with his lips clamped and hiked up to suggest amused resilience."

Trump even tried to play off the boos as a joke, according to James, who added, "Then he throws in his selfie rictus to pretend he gets the joke, throwing a wave, just in case. He turns to the side to keep busy but as he reads into the mic he shouts unnecessarily, using wide open mouth enunciation as though taking the hecklers on."

The negative reception to Trump's appearance at the Washington Commanders' game comes as Trump has discussed the team's plan to return to Washington, and a potential stadium name change.

The president said, "They're going to build a beautiful stadium. That's what I'm involved in, we're getting all the approvals and everything else. And you have a wonderful owner, Josh (Harris) and his group. And you're going to see some very good things." The stadium, set to open in 2030, could see Trump's name on it.

A White House insider has suggested the naming will "probably happen" as it's "what the president wants". Another source, speaking to The Guardian, has claimed it would be far more difficult for Trump to have his name on the stadium than first thought. They said, "The team doesn’t have the authority. They can’t name the stadium on their own. The city would be involved, and the Park Service would be involved."