In July, Donald and Melania Trump attended a Kennedy Center performance of Les Misérables, featuring understudies. A photograph from the event, showing the former president seemingly holding only Melania’s thumb as they left, sparked a wave of online speculation. Many interpreted her body language as reluctance to hold his hand, with some suggesting she appeared uncomfortable due to protests and heckling directed at Trump during the event. The “thumb-hold” moment quickly became a viral meme, reigniting public scrutiny of the couple’s relationship.
Social media users noted that this wasn’t the first time Melania appeared to avoid physical contact with her husband. They recalled incidents in 2017, when she brushed away Trump’s hand during a visit to Israel, and in 2020, when she seemed to pull away at a debate. In her 2024 memoir Melania, she dismissed such interpretations as misunderstandings, often caused by practical circumstances rather than marital tension.
Still, such moments continue to draw outsized attention, with every perceived awkward gesture fueling internet commentary. The fascination with their body language reflects a broader public interest in the Trumps’ marriage, especially since Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Reports from White House insiders have described the couple as “loners” with a “complicated” relationship. Allegedly, there were days when they could go without seeing each other, despite living under the same roof. Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury claimed they maintained separate bedrooms — the first presidential couple to do so since John and Jacqueline Kennedy — though Trump dismissed the book as “boring and untruthful.”
A 2018 Washington Post report also cited sources saying the Trumps did not share a bedroom. First lady scholar Annette Dunlap explained that separate sleeping arrangements were more common before the 1970s, especially among affluent couples, and not necessarily a sign of marital strife.
Regardless of the truth behind these moments, one thing is clear: the Trumps remain an enduring subject of public curiosity, with even the smallest gestures fueling speculation and debate.
