President Biden and former President Donald Trump squared off in their high-stakes 2024 election debate rematch on Thursday and the contrast between the pair could not have been more stark, body language expert Susan Constantine tells Fox News.

Constantine says the physical difference between the candidates was noticeable from the moment they both took the stage in Atlanta, and that set the tone for the rest of the evening, with Trump purveying strength and confidence in his mannerisms, while Biden showed a tired and slow demeanor, made worse by his raspy voice, mumbled answers and oftentimes dazed looks.

“I was really concerned because the minute [Biden] walked out on that stage, I felt he [was] not feeling good,” Constantine said. “His skin was pale, it was pasty, and he literally looked like a dead man walking.”

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“It was as if everything were in slow motion,” she continued. “His fingers and his lack of illustrators when he was talking, he was like a frozen statue up there on the stage. It really was painful to watch. [Trump] had a more serious demeanor. He didn’t make a lot of facial gestures as we normally see him do. He didn’t flash his great big smile at anybody. He was very serious when he walked out on the stage, and it really didn’t change at all through the entire debate.”

Constantine added, “It made Biden look exceptionally weak, and made Donald Trump exceptionally powerful.”

Biden’s campaign blamed the raspy voice on a cold, but the president’s uneven debate performance grabbed the vast majority of headlines from the debate, sparking a new round of calls from political pundits and some Democrats for the president to consider stepping aside as the party’s standard-bearer. 

But top Biden allies pushed back against such talk as they defended the president and targeted Trump for lying throughout the debate. 

Constantine says that it was clear that Biden had rehearsed many of his answers and went through his scripted answers very fast so as not to forget his lines. But when he did fail to recollect lines, it tripped him up, resulting in him giving long stares, oftentimes without blinking, which she describes as a “stalker stare.” 

“And the minute he forgot a couple of words, it was all over with, right, and then you could see that dropped mouth, and it was that dumbfounded look,” she explained. “His eyes would become very open and almost zombie-like. So he had that very flat stare in his eyes.”

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Biden and Trump debated in a high-stakes debate Thursday night and a body expert says their gestures told a lot about them. (Getty Images)

She also said Biden had too many cosmetic injections which physically prevented him from making proper expressions.

“He was really way too botoxed out, and that is a real problem because it can create some cognitive issues because when you shut down those emotions through facial effects, it can affect your brain,” Constantine explained. “It really almost felt abusive in my opinion, to literally allow him … [to] go through that kind of pressure knowing that he is in this high cognitive decline was to me, almost abusive.”

“And it was sad to watch. My heart broke,” she added. “I mean, literally, I could have cried watching him try to force these words out the best he could and it was just super hard to watch. The emotion that I felt, of sympathy, of empathy, because he just truly looked pathetic.”

Trump, on the other hand, showed discipline and commanded his stage space, Constantine said, adding that the lack of an audience played to Trump’s advantage as it kept him focused on the debate and not distracted.

She said Trump also used his hand movements to convey his messaging. He also expressed his emotions in his face, and said that when he is hurt or attacked, it is noticeable as his face droops downward in a sad gesture.

Trump used his hands to convey his point in the debate. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

“He’s a big guy with big hands, right? And he captures the attention,” Constantine said. “He’s very big, and wide and open, and so everything in his gestures and in his movements are big and boisterous. His hands are no more than additional communicators of what he’s saying.”

Constantine said Trump used a chopping motion when he was serious and used an “okay” sign when he was concentrating on something that was really important. He also gave an “L” sign at ear level which she terms as “listen and learn” while he also moved his hands towards his chest as if he is playing an accordion. 

“[Trump’s gestures] are much more rapid and much more commanding, much more intense. But that goes along with his personality so it is in sync with his personality,” Constantine said. “We’ve seen politicians where their gestures are so synchronized and they’re so on point that it loses its authenticity. He left that window open so that he was able to gesture, stay within that balance, stay within the frame, connect with the audience, or on camera and not over gesture but just gesture enough to get his point across.” 

“Very powerful,” she added. 

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.  

The governor of President Biden’s home state led several other Democratic state officials in maintaining they will stick with their party’s incumbent after a debate performance that roiled the political scene.

Delaware Gov. John Carney told Fox News Digital he still supports Biden’s bid to remain in the White House.

“I endorsed President Biden’s re-election campaign last year and continue to stand behind him,” Carney said.

“We need to make sure President Biden can finish the job he started.”

Fox News Digital reached out to every Democratic governor and several state-level Democrats for their take after Biden received friendly post-debate fire from fellow liberals and media allies.

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Several governors did not respond to requests for comment, but those who did indicated Biden remains their man.

In West Virginia, State Democratic Party Chair Mike Pushkin said Biden is a winner and Trump is a criminal.

“As Democrats, we believe in the democratic process. President Biden is our nominee because of his winning performance in the presidential primaries,” he said.

“Donald Trump is a convicted felon who paid hush money to cover up an affair with a porn star and who helped incite a riot as part of a plot to overturn the results of a free and fair election,” added Pushkin, also a state lawmaker.

Instead of claiming Democrats should replace Biden, the GOP should turn inward, Pushkin added.

“If Republican leaders had an ounce of integrity and cared about our democracy, they should be looking to replace Donald Trump on the ticket,” he said.

In neighboring Pennsylvania, state Sen. Sharif Street, the commonwealth’s Democratic Party chair, said he will proudly continue to support Biden.

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“He’s created more jobs this year than Donald Trump has in his entire time in office,” said Street, whose father, John Street, was a popular Philadelphia mayor.

“President Biden has had an outstanding tenure, appointing Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court and protecting a women’s right to choose. Additionally, he has invested in our communities by passing the CHIPS Act and the infrastructure bill,” Street said.

Street added Trump is a “convicted felon” and that the debate showed him to be a “compulsive liar” and “total lunatic.”

“[He’s] bad for America,” Street said. “I’m proud to support President Biden and look forward to the next four years.”

Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office pointed to an interview on CNN, where he appeared as a Biden campaign surrogate.

The governor, whose state narrowly went to Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020, did not mince words about remaining behind his party’s nominee.

“Here’s the bottom line: Joe Biden had a bad debate night, but Donald Trump was a bad president,” Shapiro said.

“I think what the American people have to do now is make a decision: Do we want to go back to a dark time that Donald Trump promises, where we have less freedom, where the middle class gets screwed, where there are fewer opportunities in our community?” 

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Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz concurred with Shapiro during a Fox News interview when asked if Biden should remain the nominee.

“[He] had a bad night last night,” he said. “I hate these debates. I’ve been through dozens of them myself, but they’re performative,” Walz told “America’s Newsroom.”

“I’ve had the job under President Trump and under President Biden, and the difference couldn’t be more stark than the ability to be able to deliver what governors need.”

Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis said “last night was not a good night” for Biden but added Trump instead “spewed wild conspiracy theories from the debate stage.”

“President Biden has a vision for America where women have the right to choose what they do with their own bodies, where we tackle high housing costs, where every family can afford child care, and where we show compassion and love for one another rather than hate,” Polis said.

President Biden and former President Trump (Getty Images)

While North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper did not respond to a request for comment, he later lauded and introduced Biden at a Raleigh campaign rally Friday afternoon.

Reached for comment on whether they will continue supporting Biden, an official with the North Carolina Democratic Party responded simply, “Yes.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office directed Fox News Digital to post-debate remarks in which the Democrat pledged to “never turn my back on President Biden.”

“I don’t know a Democrat in my party that would do so. And especially after tonight, we have his back,” he said.

Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly told Fox News Digital she’s proud to continue supporting him.

“While I have never been shy about standing up to Washington when it’s wrong for Kansas, the president’s record of delivering bipartisan results speaks for itself,” she said.

“His efforts will continue to allow Kansas to recruit new manufacturing businesses, rebuild our infrastructure, and stand up for our fundamental freedoms. He is a decent man of strong character.”

What is arguably Louisville, Kentucky’s most iconic dish had a most unusual beginning.

It was created by a chef who was bored with serving up the same meal night after night to hungry people who had just finished dancing, a hotel employee with knowledge of the topic told Fox News Digital.

In 1926, The Brown Hotel in Louisville had a nightly dinner dance, which brought in crowds of more than 1,200 each night, according to the hotel’s website. 

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As the night stretched into morning, the patrons danced up quite an appetite and went down to the hotel’s restaurant for a bite to eat, the website said.

The chef, Fred Schmidt, soon grew frustrated with serving ham and eggs, the popular dish at the time. So he decided to improvise with ingredients he had on hand, Marc Salmon, human resources director at The Brown Hotel, told Fox News Digital in a phone interview.

Schmidt sliced the crusts off a thick piece of bread and put them in a ceramic skillet. 

He sliced turkey and put it on top of the bread, sliced a tomato in half, and then poured Mornay sauce on top and stuck it under the broiler. 

When it emerged, he added even more cheese. 

The Hot Brown was born. 

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Nearly 100 years later, the Hot Brown is still being served at The Brown Hotel, largely unchanged from its original recipe – except that the dish now comes topped with two slices of bacon arranged in an X. 

Nearly a century later, it remains a culinary staple in Louisville and Kentucky. 

“Legend has it that a server … walked past it and said, ‘It’s all the same color,’” Salmon said. 

“And so Schmidt said, ‘Fine’ — and put two slices of bacon on the top.” 

The Hot Brown was immediately a hit, Salmon said. Nearly a century later, it remains a culinary staple in Louisville and Kentucky. 

The Hot Brown sandwich has since become an iconic food in Louisville and throughout Kentucky.  (Phil Vettel/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“Whenever we hire a chef, we tell him, ‘You can do anything you want, but you can’t mess with the Hot Brown,’” Salmon said. “It’s got to be the original recipe.”

At The Brown Hotel, each Hot Brown sandwich is served with “seven ounces of hand-carved turkey breast,” Salmon told Fox News Digital. 

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“One of the things that makes our [sandwich] very different from the imitators is that it’s fresh turkey breast that we’re roasting here in the kitchen and hand carving,” he said.

Only one or two people at the hotel are permitted to make the Mornay sauce, Salmon said, so that it stays consistent across the day. 

“We serve it breakfast, lunch, dinner, [at] banquets, late night,” he said. 

Legend has it that the characteristic “X” of bacon strips was a later addition to the sandwich.  (Chris Witzke)

A Mornay sauce, Salmon said, is when shredded cheese is added to a béchamel sauce. 

In the case of the Hot Brown, the chef adds Pecorino Romano, as well as nutmeg.

The nutmeg is “an interesting little secret to the sauce,” he said. 

Salmon said he believes the Hot Brown has remained popular as it is “very authentic to the town.”

He also told Fox News Digital, “When you live and work in a town that produces a great spirit like bourbon, craftsmanship is really important in this town. I think the fact that it’s so uniquely ‘us’ is what’s kept it alive.” 

A scenic view of Louisville, Kentucky. “When you live and work in a town that produces a great spirit like bourbon, craftsmanship is really important in this town. I think the fact that it’s so uniquely ‘us’ is what’s kept it alive,” said Marc Salmon, human resources director at The Brown Hotel in Louisville, about the Hot Brown dish.  (Louisville Tourism)

Still, like many unique foods, the Hot Brown has its critics.

John Wise, an Ohio native who spent several years living and working in Louisville, recently shared on social media that he is “not a fan” of the Hot Brown.

“It’s a fork-and-knife operation.”

“Ingredients are all good, but why is it open-faced? Soggy bread is somehow good?” he wrote.

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And while the Hot Brown is technically a sandwich – albeit an open-faced one – it should not be eaten with one’s hands, Salmon said. 

“It’s a fork-and-knife operation,” he said.