‘Like watching someone dying’: Where Joe Biden is going wrong

In the wake of Joe Biden’s latest performance on the world stage, the US President is “blind to his own inadequacy”, argues body language expert Dr Louise Mahler.

Body language expert Dr Louise Mahler has analysed US President Joe Biden’s performance at the opening night of the NATO Summit and the press conference that followed.

Here are her observations.

“(To begin) there was an audible short breath with his head moving left to right indicating he was reading,” Dr Mahler said.

“He did stutter briefly, but he has always been a stutterer, and he needed to continually clear his throat through his speech and during the Q&A session, with his voice becoming breathy as he struggled for air.

“When talking about his presidency, Mr Biden began to cough and then the mumbling kicked in, coughing constantly between questions in a sign of the stress he is under.”

Body language expert Dr Louise Mahler. Picture: Supplied

Dr Mahler said the 81 year old addressed his Zelensky/Putin gaffe “well enough, but stumbled poorly when calling Trump his VP (vice president)”.

“What would be off putting to the public would be the leaning forward on the lectern, staring at the media with his eyes too wide open. This is where Mr Biden is going wrong as people do not see him getting the job done. They see him mumbling, getting lost in thought and staring oddly – this does not reassure them.

“At times his voice lost power as the press conference went on, with his voice becoming low and breathy, with mumbles, stumbles and mixed logic in answers – some which dragged onto the point of confusion – constantly correcting himself with the term ‘anyway’.”

US President Joe Biden holds news conference at the 2024 NATO Summit. Picture: AFP

“By the end he seemed to tire and then became angry when speaking about guns – pointing and yelling – this change of state was freakish.

“His response to the cognitive test question at the end was sad to watch, he was talking to himself as he said, ‘I served at the senate for a long time… blah blah… Look at the polling data…’ it was like watching someone dying in front of you.”

What is clear, according to Dr Mahler, “is that Mr Biden is blind to his own inadequacy”.

“The world is getting a glimpse of the strength of the man who Mr Biden once was, a man who has been magnificent on the public stage, but in decline from his age,” she said.

Originally published as ‘Like watching someone dying’: Where Joe Biden is going wrong