Jonathan Swan's facial expressions made his Axios on HBO interview with Trump a success

The Week

The Axios reporter does journalism with his face, says Jeva Lange. "There are 43 muscles in the human face and Jonathan Swan flexed all of them during his recent interview with the president of the United States, which aired Monday night on HBO," says Lange. "Throughout the 40-minute conversation, Swan's brow furrowed, his eyes squinted and bulged, his nose wrinkled. Sometimes his jaw would actually hang open, a cartoonish epitome of 'incredulous.' Such open expressions of disbelief when speaking with President Trump could arguably be considered rude (as if Trump hasn't rolled his eyes and mocked interviewers himself). But Swan's face served a greater journalistic role during the interview than fueling great memes: it fact-checked a leader who is not accustomed to pushback."