Body language expert Scott Rouse examined Minnesota governor Tim Walz’s reaction during Tuesday’s vice presidential debate, where he was confronted about a discrepancy regarding his presence at the Tiananmen Square protests, as per Fox News. The debate took an unexpected turn when CBS moderators challenged Walz’s claim that he had been in Hong Kong during the protests, despite evidence suggesting he travelled to Asia several months later, in August 1989.
Dr Phil, who had previously invited Rouse to analyse body language during the presidential debate, asked him to assess Walz’s response to the query about his Tiananmen claim. The clip showed CBS’s Margaret Brennan asking Walz, “You actually didn’t travel to Asia until August of that year; can you explain that discrepancy?”
In response, Walz began by discussing his upbringing in rural Nebraska. Rouse interpreted this as a sign of panic, explaining, “As that head goes sideways, that’s panic. Because he’s not sure how he’s going to defend this.” He noted the governor’s eyes widening and the subtle signals in his facial expressions, indicating an internal struggle.
Rouse highlighted a notable hand gesture from Walz, describing it as his “biggest hand gesture of the night,” and suggested it demonstrated his desperation to persuade viewers, saying, “I want you to believe me! You gotta believe me!”
Dr Phil weighed in, suggesting that a concise answer followed by an explanation tends to appear more trustworthy than a lengthy one. “Don’t you want to hear the answer up front?” he asked the audience, poking fun at Walz’s initial response about his small-town roots.
Rouse explained that Walz’s tactic of providing unrelated information is a well-known diversionary strategy known as “chaff and redirect.” He suggested a more straightforward approach would have been more effective: “No, I wasn’t, and I said I was. Let me explain.”
Dr Phil humorously said, “But then we wouldn’t have known where he was born.”
