My wife laughs when she's stressed out. The first time she did it after we started dating, was when I slipped and fell down a flight of icy exterior stairs. I got pretty mad because that actually really hurt and she was laughing. That's when she said that's how she responds to stress.The dude is almost certainly an ass, but be careful about reading into facial expressions. People do very odd and unexpected things under extreme stress, including laughter. I have personally witnessed shooters swing wildly from crying to laughter, and I think it's there brain trying to catch up to their new reality. We laugh at the absurd, and something this far out of the "normal person" experience is very much absurd. I don't pretend to know all the psychology behind it, but it absolutely is a thing for some folks to go through.
I get the optic is horrible, and he may really be the cock of the walk he is portrayed as, but just something to consider.
It took several years, but after we bought our house she was running across the yard, slipped and fell on her face. I laughed and pointed.
She also laughed when each of her grandparents passed away.
If you don't know what's going on it's pretty disconcerting.