Frans Timmermans causes discomfort for the presenter of Nieuwsuur when he suddenly starts laughing during a very serious conversation. “Are you laughing at me?” Jeroen Wollaars asks him live on TV.
Frans Timmermans’ Nieuwsuur appearance did not go exactly well. In fact, he is cornered when he is asked about Spanish asylum figures that do not exist but he is showing off – according to viewers, he is clearly lying here – and reacts visibly uneasy to persistently critical questions.
Not a nice evening
TV critic Victor Vlam watched it and found it very uncomfortable. “It was not a nice evening for him, because he was cornered in Nieuwsuur. It is interesting to look back at his non-verbal communication, because yes, it was clear that he was cooking, but he was really cooking inside with Jeroen Wollaars’ questions.”
He continues in the podcast Victor Indicates TV: “You saw him turn red. The tension in his face was visible. He did not like what was happening, but he tried to keep a straight face, because that is what is expected of you as a political party leader.”
‘Just made it up’
According to Victor, the fragment about those Spanish asylum figures is devastating. “That suggested that Timmermans had made things up. It was very uncomfortable to see.”
He continues: “There was also another moment when he was cornered, later in the conversation, and there Timmermans does something strange. He suddenly starts laughing hard, laughing maniacally.”
‘Are you laughing at me?’
When Jeroen remarks somewhere in the conversation that Timmermans’s reasoning is a bit short-sighted, Timmermans suddenly starts laughing. “Are you laughing at me?” the presenter asks in surprise.
The GroenLinks-PvdA leader then: “No, no, no.”
Jeroen: “In this case we see that you are less firm and less firm on nature – and I will say this without laughing at you – than GroenLinks was.”
Weird moment
Victor doesn’t understand this. “This was really a very strange moment. I was really amazed. What is happening here? What is happening here? Why is he laughing so crazy? Jeroen Wollaars also doesn’t know what is happening to him. He even asks if Timmermans is laughing at him. Yes, bizarre of course, isn’t it?”
He continues: “I suspect that Frans Timmermans has often been told in the past that he should not come across as pushy, because the voter does not want that, so that is why you should smile a lot or laugh out loud where necessary. That in itself is quite good advice. We like leaders who are cheerful and optimistic.”
Maniacal
However, you cannot force it, according to Victor. “The problem is that you can’t force it and that’s where it goes wrong here. What happens here is that he is cornered, he clearly doesn’t feel comfortable with it and to mask that he laughs out loud very forcedly.”
“Everyone feels that that is simply not sincere and that only emphasizes that you are on the defensive. This was a very strange moment, it seems a bit maniacal to laugh in this way.”
Fragment
You can see the conscious ‘maniacal laugh’ from 43:05:
Timmermans’ alleged lie:
@nieuwsuur In interviews and election debates, GroenLinks-PvdA party leader Frans Timmermans repeatedly refers to Spain. According to the party leader, that country has been successful in concluding agreements with countries to allow asylum seekers who have exhausted all legal remedies to return more quickly. But evidence that the deals are successful is not available. #GroenLinksPvdA #FransTimmermans #Timmermans #Elections #Newshour ♬ original sound – Nieuwsuur