A body language expert has explained why Donald Trump couldn’t kiss his wife, Melania, during his inauguration.
The 78-year-old was sworn in on 20 January 2025 as the 47th president in Washington, D.C.
Family, friends and tech billionaires were all in attendance as a show of support for the new president, with Melania, 54, standing beside her husband on the historic day.
After being sworn in and saying his oath to the country, Trump approached his wife and attempted to kiss her on the cheek. However, the interaction ended up being rather awkward and had the internet talking.
The president decided to back away from his wife at the last minute, making the gesture more of an air kiss. Some say he simply couldn’t reach due to the brim of her hat being so large.
While others believe this is a window into the reality of their marriage. Seemingly trying to show marital bliss appears to have backfired on the president.
Body language expert Inbaal Honigman believes that Trump was ‘unsure how to show affection to his wife’. Even suggesting Trump seemed more comfortable with JD Vance’s wife.
Honigman said “Trump may have wanted to demonstrate marital bliss in greeting his missus with a kiss when he walked in, but their uncertain interaction ended up showing that they don’t respond naturally to another.”
Speaking about Melania’s body language, she said that it was ‘still and neutral’, explaining: “She sits still in her model pose, her facial expression neutral, not drawing any attention to herself, letting all attention be on her husband.”
“[Trump] is clearly unsure how to show affection towards his wife in the presence of her impressive hat, but neither of them attempts to solve the situation,” she said.
“Melania could have angled her face to present her cheek to her husband. Donald could have bent a little lower to reach his wife’s cheek. But neither of them did it.”
People online are convinced the reason she made that particular fashion choice was intentional.
One person took to X: ‘for those wondering why Melania chose to wear that goddamn hat, here’s your answer’ while another said: ‘Oh, now it makes sense. Melania wore the hat as a barrier to Trump’s lips. Got it.’
Awkward…
