Recently, Donald and Melania Trump attended the premiere of “Les Misérables” at the Kennedy Center. A moment that sparked a buzz across social media was a photograph where Donald appeared to hold only Melania’s thumb as they exited the venue.
This image became a conversation starter online, with many people speculating about the former First Lady’s willingness to hold her husband’s hand. Some suggested that her body language indicated she wasn’t excited about the event, possibly due to the protests and heckling towards Trump during the evening.
The image of the “thumb-hold” quickly spread across social media like wildfire. Memes, comments, and theories about the state of the Trump couple’s relationship poured in from all directions.
For many social media commentators, this wasn’t the first occurrence of Melania avoiding her husband’s hand. They recalled a similar incident in 2017 when she seemingly brushed away Trump’s hand during a visit to Israel. Another moment came to light in 2020 during a debate event when she appeared to pull back again.
Melania addressed some of these public moments in her 2024 memoir. The memoir, titled “Melania,” explained that these incidents were often misinterpreted and largely related to practical circumstances rather than personal issues.
However, it becomes a spectacle when such moments are caught in public, especially for a couple under constant watch by both the media and the public. Every awkward gesture or expression can end up as a trending topic, feeding the popular narrative around them.
When highlighting their relationship dynamics, particularly following Donald Trump’s return to the White House, whispers about their personal lives intensified. Reports from the White House speculated the couple had a rather “complicated” relationship, famously described as being “loners.”
It was said that there were entire days when Donald and Melania spent time at the White House without crossing paths.
Michael Wolff’s book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” noted: “Trump, in fact, found the White House to be vexing and even a little scary. He retreated to his own bedroom – marking a first since the Kennedy White House that the presidential couple maintained separate rooms.”
President Trump dismissed the book as “really boring and untruthful”, yet it wasn’t just Wolff who painted a picture of unconventional sleeping arrangements.
In a Washington Post article from 2018, insider sources shared claims that, indeed, the then-President and First Lady had separate bedrooms.
First Lady scholar Annette Dunlap shared with People that such arrangements were last seen with the Nixons. Before the 1970s, separate bedrooms were quite ordinary, reflecting European influences. “Sleeping together in the same bed was once seen as a sign of poverty during the early 20th century, a symbol that you couldn’t afford separate accommodations,” Dunlap elaborated.
Regardless of the truth behind these rumors, one aspect remains clear: the Trump couple continues to captivate and intrigue the public at large.
