As the debate between Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) and Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz kicked off on Tuesday, many viewers noticed that Walz appeared nervous, struggling to get through his first answer with his eyes wide open. But according to a POLITICO article written by a “body language expert” on Wednesday, Walz’s “eyes wide as saucers” revealed intense “passion,” not edginess.
“When Walz felt especially passionate about something, he’d open his eyes wide as saucers,” Navarro wrote. “Eye-popping can sometimes be a sign of surprise, but for Walz, it simply revealed his emotional intensity.”
“Early humans would have made such facial gestures to communicate strong emotions, like ‘danger is close.’ For Walz, it gave extra weight to his feelings and held our gaze,” he added.
Another “body language tell” mentioned in the POLITICO article was Vance’s beard, and Navarro wrote that “voters see beards as (surprise, surprise) more masculine.”
“That can be positive to some, reading as strength and competence. But to others, especially women, it can be negative, conveying aggression and opposition to feminist ideals,” he added.
Other body language the writer focused on included Vance’s hand gestures and frown, and Walz’s “furrowing” eyebrows and pointing at the camera. The article’s claim about Walz’s wide eyes gained the most attention on social media as conservatives blasted it.
“Politico doing Politico things. lol,” wrote Blaze Media CEO Tyler Cardon.
Politico doing Politico things. lol. pic.twitter.com/iI5H9k72vh
— Tyler Carditis (@TyCardon) October 2, 2024
“lol how is this real,” wrote Babylon Bee Managing Editor Joel Berry.
“Hard to believe this publication once paid me to write for them,” BlazeTV host Steve Deace added.
Watch Tim Walz's eyes.
He's completely falling apart.
You can tell JD Vance knows it's happening!
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 2, 2024
Walz was criticized by political commentators for a shaky debate performance, with ABC’s Linsey Davis even comparing it to Joe Biden’s June 27 debate against Donald Trump.
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“It kind of reminded me of the June 27 debate when Kamala Harris that night said of Joe Biden, ‘It was a slow start but a strong finish.’ And that’s how I felt Tim Walz kind of did tonight,” Davis said, adding, “There were some uncomfortable, some cringy moments.”
ABC’s Linsey Davis likens Tim Walz’s debate performance with Biden’s debate performance. That’s how bad it was. Wow pic.twitter.com/Vvs0Q0Cgin
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 2, 2024
“I’ll say this for Walz, he has perfected a look of sheer terror and complete bafflement all at the same time,” CNN contributor Scott Jennings said.
Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro added, “Walz looks as though he’s been detained by a police officer for shoplifting.”