Thursday 26 Jan 2017 12:48 pm
Body language experts have weighed in on Donald and Melania’s pretty miserable-looking relationship.
People have been concerned about how unhappy the First Lady looked at Trump’s inauguration – particularly after footage emerged of her smile dropping off her face the moment Donald turned away.
But apart from this glaringly obvious sign of discomfort, there were plenty of other more subtle indicators that things aren’t great between the two of them.
Especially when compared to Barack and Michelle Obama – who, in total contrast to the Trumps, clearly adore each other.
Nowhere was the contrast between the two couples more apparent than when the four of them met.
When the Trumps got out of their car to greet the Obamas at the White House, Donald got out first and marched up the stairs to shake the Obamas’ hands.
By the time he’d reached Barack, Melania was barely out of the car.
Trump then left Melania to make her own way up the stairs, without so much as giving her a smile.
According to body language experts, this kind of behaviour could be a clear sign of an unhappy relationship.
‘If you didn’t know that they were married, you wouldn’t know that they are married,’ expert Susan Constantine told Mic. ‘Not only did he not wait, he went up the stairs and greeted the Obamas.’
And Patti Wood told News.com.au: ‘What I didn’t see when they stepped out of that car was warmth or tenderness.
‘Instead, he walked ahead and left her behind, showing that he is more important and takes precendence.’
She added: ‘The big ticker for me is that he didn’t even look back, check on his wife and formally introduce her to the Obamas.’
At the same time, the Obamas were quietly adorable.
When Melania handed Michelle a gift, Barack immediately noticed she was uncomfortable – so he came over to take the gift off her hands.
A moment on the steps
A quiet moment can speak a thousand words.
On inauguration day, when Michelle approached Barack on the steps he spontaneously took her hand and kissed it.
‘It’s a very tender moment,’ body language expert Patti Wood told Mic.
Trump, on the other hand, gave Melania nothing more than a cursory nod – before looking away. He didn’t even touch her.
‘Melania is an object to [Trump],’ Constantine said. ‘I don’t see any warmth or true love and compassion in that relationship whatsoever.’
The first dance together
Melania and Donald’s dance together at the inaugural ball was noticeably stiff – but the experts reckon it’s due to more than them just being awkward dancers.
As Wood pointed out, Melania was actually leaning away from Donald as they danced, and held her fingers out straight: ‘That typically says, “I don’t want to merge with you as a partner”.’
At the same time, Trump was ‘pulling her in sexually’ by touching her pelvis to his.
A kiss during the dance
There was one moment during the dance that offered up some hope – when Melania gave Donald a kiss.
But Wood told News.com.au that even this didn’t look great.
‘There was only one small moment when they were dancing and she leant in to kiss him,’ she said. ‘But after a kiss, the response I look for is a laugh or smile.
‘But I didn’t see that – meaning it was planned, rather than a spontaneous and tender kiss.’
And then Trump pulled away and sung ‘I did it my way’, shouting to the crowd without acknowledging his wife.
‘The dance is supposed to be their moment as a couple, and again he chose for it to be about him,’ Wood said.
Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2017/01/26/body-language-expert-gives-the-low-down-on-donald-and-melania-trump-6407314/#ixzz4q9HiJ43v