A body language expert described Donald Trump‘s gesture toward his wife, Melania, at a recent White House signing event as “belittling.” Trump and Melania signed an executive order on Monday on women’s health issues. However, Melania’s reaction to Trump’s affectionate gesture also made headlines at the event.
Body language expert decodes Donald Trump’s behavior around Melania
Donald and Melania Trump attended an executive order signing at the White House on Monday, when a brief moment between them quickly caught the internet’s attention.
In a video that went viral on X, Trump took Melania’s hand after signing the executive order and stepped forward to kiss her. After being offered her cheek to kiss, the President patted Melania’s hand, which a body language expert suggested showed Trump’s “fragile ego.”
According to a report by OK Magazine, body language expert Inbaal Honigman suggested the move was Trump’s way of asserting his dominance. She claimed, “When a couple hold hands, the physical upper hand belongs to the more dominant person, the one who also has the upper hand mentally in the relationship. This awkward contact between the Trumps symbolizes the President’s attempt to assert his dominance, driven by his discomfort with all the attention Melania is receiving.”
Moreover, another expert and behavior analyst, Traci Brown, added that Trump’s signature pat appeared “belittling.” She suggested that the handshake was too formal for a married couple.
During the event, when Trump moved in to kiss Melania, internet users noticed the First Lady seemed to pull away from the affectionate gesture. She could be seen turning her head, and what looked like an intended lip kiss from Trump allegedly turned into a cheek kiss by the end.
Commenting on this, Brown said, “I don’t know the protocol here. But she doesn’t let him kiss her on the lips, only offering her cheek.”
