Melania Trump and Donald Trump used to be affectionate with each other. But it seems things changed after the POTUS got elected in 2016.
On multiple occasions, the first family made headlines for all the wrong reasons. At times, Trump is spotted trying to hold the first lady’s hands, but she refuses the gesture. At other times, Trump and Melania do hold hands but their body language doesn’t show that they are a happily married couple.
While speaking with Refinery29, body language expert Patti Wood explained why she thinks Melania and Donald’s relationship changed after the latter became president of the United States.
Wood said that things started to change between the couple when Melania started making the decisions on behalf of her husband. Every time the first lady doesn’t feel that Trump is treating her right, she reportedly refused to hold his hand.
Three years ago, the couple traveled to Israel for an engagement. While there, the POTUS reached out for his wife’s hand. However, Wood said that the moment didn’t seem as though they were a couple. Rather, Trump’s gesture made it seem as though he’s Melania’s parent. No wonder the FLOTUS flicked Trump’s hand away.
“I don’t think Melania’s behavior is a cry for help. I think it’s a way of saying, ‘You’re disrespecting me in public and I’m not going to act like it’s not bothering me,” Wood explained.
And during Trump’s Inauguration Day, Melania and her husband arrived at the White House together. The POTUS stepped out of the car first, and he didn’t even assist his wife. Wood said that this was probably one of the reasons why the FLOTUS looked tense during their outing.
“The tension in her body, mouth, and face show that she’s normally a very emotional person and is having to contain it. She’s taking all of her energy to contain how she really feels… She shows anger; there’s a glare in her eyes a lot when she’s with him. To me, it’s capital letters, highlighted, underlined: ‘I am trying to hide how I really feel,’” Wood said.