Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney deployed a new strategy when he met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday – over-the-top flattery. 

Body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail that Carney was trying to get Trump ‘purring nicely for their negotiations’ by doing a lot of ‘verbal stroking’ of the American president in the Oval Office when the two men were in front of the press.

As the meeting opened, Carney referred to Trump as a ‘transformative president’ and started listing his accomplishments.

‘Carney actually manages to blow so much smoke at Trump here that even the ego-rich president can’t listen anymore, which has to be a first, and interrupts him with a joke about a merger of the U.S. and Canada with a bashful smile,’ James observed.

Under Canada’s previous leader, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump had started pushing that Canada should become the U.S.’s 51st state, though he’s approached the concept with less seriousness now that Carney’s in charge. 

While Carney’s opener was excessive, James said it worked with Trump, as the president’s ‘downward steepled fingertips started to clap together in tiny, silent applause of approval.’ 

The Canadian prime minister next deployed some overzealous laughter – liking Trump’s retort when he was asked: ‘If he’s such a great man and you want to do a deal with Canada, what’s holding it up?’ Trump replied, ‘because I want to be a great man too.’ 

‘Trump’s reply is funny but not as funny as Carney seems to suggest with his response,’ James said. ‘Shrieking with laughter, he falls back in his chair, clapping his hands together like a teen at a Taylor Swift concert.’

Body language expert Judi James observed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (left) doing a lot of ‘verbal stoking’ of President Donald Trump during their Tuesday meeting in the Oval Office

But, again, Trump was into it. 

‘His reward comes in Trump’s smile response. Trump sits with his lips closed and pulled into his widest “Bullfrog” smile as he just sits basking in the moment,’ James said. 

Tuesday’s meeting came after Trump and Carney had their first meeting at the White House in May and met again a month later at the G7 in Canada, an engagement Trump left early to deal with the escalating situation in the Middle East. 

There was more tension between the leaders during those two visits, with Carney making some ‘face-pulling’ expressions to the cameras during his first Oval Office meeting and cutting Trump off during their G7 spray. 

‘This time though he sat gazing at Trump as he spoke with his only “aside” to the camera being a wink to register friendship, agreement and a shared sense of humor with the president,’ James shared. 

Trump was saying that Carney was, ‘A nice man but he can be nasty.’ 

It was a comment Trump was making about Carney’s negotiating strategy. 

‘The wink looked strategic,’ James said.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (left) and President Donald Trump’s (right) meeting came off friendlier than their May meeting at the White House and June meeting at the G7, which Canada hosted 

‘Carney’s wink signaled it was all done in the best spirit. Not really nasty, just playfully so. He looked keen to let the world know that Trump was exaggerating and that the two men were actually the best of buddies,’ the body language expert added. 

While the vibes were better, James observed some reluctance from Carney to be so performative. 

She noticed that Carney’s ‘sucking up seems to lie on top of some inner anxiety of tension’ and pointed to how the Canadian prime minister was wringing his fingers and seen with his thumbs picking away behind his hand clasp. 

James thought Carney’s body language was ‘designed as some kind of meat tenderizer for their negotiations,’ noticing how the Canadian mirrored the president’s posture in the Oval Office and made a lot of eye contact with him.  

‘The tactic of tenderization did seem to be working too because Trump began to sound like an out of season Santa, talking about Carney “leaving Washington happy” and how much the Canadians would love Trump,’ she noted.