Former President Donald Trump’s recent rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City drew attention for more than just political reasons, sparking conversations online over an awkward public moment between Trump and his wife, Melania Trump.
Just after her introduction, Trump leaned in for a kiss, only for Melania to subtly turn her head, exchanging air kisses rather than meeting him directly on the lips. Netizens called the interaction “uncomfortable” and “staged,” which quickly caught attention.
Like one user posted, “How he wants us to want him, when his own damn wife hates him,” while another user echoed, “Melania hates that man. Sis can’t even hide it!”
“They couldn’t even pull off the Hawley kiss?” one quipped.
Melania's pushy attitude toward Donald is kinda old
Back in 2020, a similar incident saw Melania pulling her hand away as Trump reached for it while they deboarded Air Force One. Many pointed out that this wasn’t the first time she appeared to reject his advances, with a now-infamous incident in 2017 at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport where she swatted his hand away. Melania later addressed that incident in her memoir Melania, released on October 8, attributing it to protocol issues. She explained that the narrow red carpet and required spacing kept her from holding his hand, saying, “Protocol demanded that the president and prime minister walk side by side, with their spouses trailing behind,” though critics found this explanation unconvincing.
{{/usCountry}}Back in 2020, a similar incident saw Melania pulling her hand away as Trump reached for it while they deboarded Air Force One. Many pointed out that this wasn’t the first time she appeared to reject his advances, with a now-infamous incident in 2017 at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport where she swatted his hand away. Melania later addressed that incident in her memoir Melania, released on October 8, attributing it to protocol issues. She explained that the narrow red carpet and required spacing kept her from holding his hand, saying, “Protocol demanded that the president and prime minister walk side by side, with their spouses trailing behind,” though critics found this explanation unconvincing.
{{/usCountry}}With her recent comments suggesting she isn’t fond of the public role that came with her marriage to Trump, recordings of her expressing frustration with certain aspects of being First Lady went viral, including her grievances about political obligations and even the White House Christmas decor.
Another plausible is that the cold, air-kiss greeting with Trump may also be attributed to Melania’s background. Melania was born in Slovenia, which was a part of former Yugoslavia. She came to America in 2000 and gained her citizenship in2006. In some Germanic and Balkan cultures, a greeting takes the form of what might be described as the cheek-kiss, or three-part embrace, used to greet close friends and relatives or people you have a friendly rapport with in Serbia.
The October 27 rally was a high-energy event, with speeches from Trump and his supporters, including podcaster and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean.”