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Justin Trudeau would probably have preferred to drink gasoline straight from the nozzle rather than mug for the cameras outside the White House with a president who, according to fresh reports in Vanity Fair, is in the process of “unraveling.”

Diplomacy demanded he fake a rictus smile Wednesday while Donald Trump complained about the press’s “disgusting” tendency to “write whatever they want to write.”

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Patriotic duty compelled him to grin and bear it, as Trump performed his alpha dog routine during the photo op.

The London Daily Express asked a body language expert, Judi James, to interpret the exchange.

“Trudeau looks deliriously happy to go into body language suck-up mode with Trump here, nestling close beside him and grinning as Trump performs the pointing and thumbs-up rituals that he used to do with fans outside the lift at Trump Towers.

“Trump’s thumbs-up gestures imply a fun, easy-going relationship with Trudeau, although it also seems to signal a low level of respect. The comedy point is a subtle way to put down Trudeau’s visible status,” she said.