Ever since Donald Trump was sworn into office, the First Lady seems to have maintained a
frown just as her fierce as her fashion.
From dodging her husband's hand, to sequestering herself in her gold-encrusted New York City
penthouse long after he moved to Washington, it's unclear if this first couple actually
like each other at all.
While she's private, dignified, and reserved, he's the kind of guy that boasts about groping
women and antagonizes foreign dictators on social media.
Sure, opposites attract, especially with millions of dollars on the line, but is that enough?
These are Donald and Melania Trump's most cringe-worthy moments..
Over it: Inaugural edition
Melania's support of her husband's new career path has been subject to tons of speculation.
"Were you involved in the decision of your husband to become President?"
"We discuss a lot, yes, and I encourage him."
In the scathing White House tell-all, Fire & Fury, author Michael Wolff wrote that when
Melania found out her husband won the presidency, she cried...
"... tears, and not of joy."
But Stephanie Grisham, the first lady's communications director, denied this account.
She swore Melania encouraged Trump to run in the first place, and says the First Lady
was, quote, "very happy" with the election's outcome.
But during the actual inauguration, Mrs. Trump looked anything but.
Melania's morose expression was so obvious that the internet rushed to her aid with the
hashtag "FreeMelania".
The miserable day was later capped off with the world's most awkward dance.
As of mid-2018, Melania remains in captivity.
Stop touching me: Israel edition
Things didn't get less awkward when the first couple jetted to Israel to meet with Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as one of many stops on their first overseas trip.
The incident went down as Netanyahu and his wife escorted the Trumps across the red carpet.
Trump reached for Melania's hand, and was denied.
After the snub, Melania went to Saudi Arabia to give a misguided speech about "work/life
balance" to Saudi women, who, as a whole, weren't even legally allowed to drive at the
time.
Stop touching me: Rome edition
The first lady snubbed Trump again when they landed in Rome.
This time, she brushed her hair out of her face in lieu of presidential PDA.
But a member of the president's inner circle told Vanity Fair her perceived coldness isn't
a diss.
Melania reportedly prefers to step back and let her husband have the spotlight.
But tell that to the "SaveMelania" hashtag.
Keep it professional: Maryland edition
By the time the POTUS arrived with his wife at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Melania
had already made it pretty clear that she's not into PDA.
But it seemed the President finally got the memo, because he greeted the first lady with
a handshake, and then awkwardly nudged her off stage.
Twitter lit up, with one user claiming this incident was "by far the most awkward husband/wife
encounter" they'd ever witnessed.
Another said, "Nothing says I love you, my wife, like a firm handshake and false pleasantries."
And others questioned if Donald and Melania actually know each other at all.
Full on PDA: White House edition
While we're certainly not behind the closed doors of Trump and Melania's alleged separate
bedrooms, it appeared that the FLOTUS finally gave in to her husband's hand-holding advances
during the State Arrival Ceremony in April 2018, at least for a minute.
The first couple posed with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte.
And when Trump reached for Melania's hand, she actually took it… before quickly wriggling
out of it, and hanging back from the pack.
Ice queen: West Wing edition
Some say Melania is in a cold, loveless marriage, but what if that's just her personal aesthetic?
If you're going by her Christmas decorations, which Vox described as "a nightmare pulled
straight out of a horror movie", that might be the case.
Melania's take on Christmas in the White House was a far cry from the Obama's cozy, classic
holiday vibe.
The final results garnered her comparisons to Narnia's White Witch and also the demon
from Stranger Things.
Others compared the FLOTUS dispassionately watching the Nutcracker-inspired Ballerinas
to Black Swan and, of course, The Ring.
But, hey, those decorations weren't tacky!
Trouble in paradise: Adult film star edition
After more than a decade of marriage, the Trumps' 13th wedding anniversary came and
went with little fanfare.
But was it because there was a…
Stormy brewing?
The Trumps reportedly intended to spend their anniversary weekend at a posh resort in the
Swiss Alps that was hosting the World Economic Forum, at which the President was scheduled
to speak.
But those plans were made before The Wall Street Journal dropped a bombshell news report
claiming Donald paid adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to remain quiet about an
affair.
They allegedly had an encounter in July 2006, shortly after Melania gave birth to Barron
Trump.
Just 11 days after the story broke, CNN confirmed that Melania had cancelled her trip to Sweden
due to "scheduling and logistical issues."
And the President attended the event alone.
But two days prior to their anniversary, Melania did take the opportunity to reflect on her
time as first lady.
And you'd never know her husband had anything to do with it.
She tweeted a photo of herself with her hunky military escort on Inauguration Day, writing:
"This has been a year filled with many wonderful moments.
I've enjoyed the people I've been lucky enough to meet throughout our great country & the
world."
Me time: State of the Union edition
Amidst the Stormy Daniels drama, Melania didn't limit her reported shade-throwing to Twitter
posts and cancelled anniversary plans.
The first lady also opted to travel solo to her husband's State of the Union Address on
January 30th, 2018.
In fact, the couple had not been publicly seen together since New Years Eve.
Though the State of the Union address is given just a few minutes away from the White House,
the first couple reportedly took separate cars.
According to CNN, Melania rode with some guests she invited, who joined her in a special box,
and arrived just one minute before the president's speech was due to begin.
Even more curious, Melania opted to wear a white pantsuit to the event.
The year prior, Democratic congressional members donned white in protest of Trump's policies.
Maybe the first lady has joined the resistance, but more likely, cream is just one of her
wardrobe staples.
According to Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, there was nothing shady about Melania's separate
ride.
She reportedly took her own car out of convenience.
Plus, she wanted to greet guests, and the President needed to go straight inside.
Trouble in paradise: Birthday edition
Donald Trump has made a name for himself by supposedly "telling it like it is."
And this produced a rather cringe-worthy interview when he took his "executive time" to call
into Fox & Friends in late April 2018.
The interview was shocking for a few reasons — the terrified looks from the anchors as
they nervously tried to push him off-air, how he may have actually incriminated himself
in legal matters regarding the Russia investigation; and the way he totally admitted that he forgot
to get Melania a birthday present, saying,
"I better not get into that because I may get in trouble.
Maybe I didn't get her so much.
I tell you what, she has done, I got her a beautiful card."
So...what's worse?
The wrath of a wife who's birthday you forgot, or implicating yourself in an ongoing criminal
investigation?
Only one of those things can be lawyered around.
Trouble in paradise: Staff edition
Donald Trump clung to his reality TV catchphrase long after The Apprentice was cancelled.
"You're fired."
And Trump's presidency has become notorious for its high turnover rate.
As of May 2018, more than 30 staff members have reportedly been fired, forced out, quit,
or retired, and it seems like critics are always speculating about who's next.
But could it be Melania?
According to W magazine, the president riffed on the fact that Melania looks miserable in
an overwhelming amount of public appearances, saying,
"I like turnover.
I like chaos.
It really is good.
Now the question everyone keeps asking is, 'Who is going to be the next to leave?
Steve Miller or Melania?'"
Joking about how the general public thinks your wife hates you was as awkward as expected,
especially considering the notoriously private FLOTUS was apparently offended.
Cracking a smile: Funeral edition
Melania may be serious and reserved by nature, but that doesn't mean she never lets loose.
Momentarily free of the President, the first lady cracked a rare smile at Barbara Bush's
funeral in April 2018, and the irony wasn't lost on the internet.
President Trump didn't attend the service, but Melania was there to pay her respects,
sitting next to Barack and Michelle Obama.
And, funeral etiquette aside, Melania looked happier and more relaxed than she had in months,
to the delight of the entire Internet.
One Twitter user quipped: "Melania looks happier at a funeral than she has in ages."
Even Hillary Clinton adviser Philippe Reines tweeted that the first lady allegedly "ALWAYS"
used to smile in photos, yet this was the "first smile on her in years."
He added,
"That's a woman craving distance from a monster being reminded what dignity looks like."
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