Melania Trump Has Repeatedly Snubbed Donald's PDA Efforts (& It Doesn't Help Those Divorce Rumors)

Over the years, tons of commentators have spotted telltale signs that Donald and Melania Trump's marriage might be on the rocks, and the first couple hasn't exactly instilled public confidence in their relationship in the interim. We give the president points for trying, but his wife appears to have forgotten on several occasions that cameras are trained on her — and Melania's cold, or even outright repulsed, reactions to her husband's PDA. Shortly after the divisive politician survived an assassination attempt in July 2024, he appeared at the Republican National Convention and Melania, for once, was proudly by her husband's side. But when Donald leaned in for a kiss, she quickly turned her cheek. 

The first lady didn't really return her husband's affection either, swiftly stepping aside once he finally let her go. One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, joked that Melania "friend-zoned Donald Trump on national TV." Notably, this wasn't the first time that the former model appeared eager to get as far away from her husband as possible. Another memorable snub occurred following a 2020 presidential debate. As the political power couple left the stage, Melania seemed in a hurry to pull her hand out of Donald's grip. The president awkwardly patted his wife's back in response. 

And then there was the infamous slap during the Trumps' 2017 visit to Israel. Donald reached for his wife's hand upon their arrival, which she promptly slapped away. Ouch. "Maybe she gave him a low 5," one observer quipped. While there are many weird things about Donald and Melania's relationship that fans seem happy to ignore, we can't look past these repeated PDA snubs from the first lady. And yet, despite ample speculation that Melania was ready to ditch Donald the second he lost the 2020 election, she didn't.

There are plenty of possible reasons why Melania and Donald Trump continue to stay together, and one of them is likely to keep up appearances, as the first lady's former friend and assistant, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, told the BBC's "Newsnight." "I do believe it's a transactional marriage," she confirmed. "Donald got arm candy [...] and Melania got two dynamic decades [as a model]." One could argue that, if she wasn't getting anything out of the relationship, they would have parted ways a long time ago. Consider that Melania weathered her husband's New York fraud trial alongside the headlines about him allegedly cheating on her with adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly after welcoming their son.

When the divisive politician was named TIME's Person of the Year, for the second time, in 2024 Donald rung the bell to open the New York Stock Exchange. Melania stood by his side, and for once, she didn't seem hellbent on keeping her distance. "She produced some very natural-looking smiles and instigated some conversations and even popped herself cheekily into a selfie that Trump was asked to pose for," body language expert Judi James pointed out to the Daily Mail. She elaborated, "Trump placed a steering, supportive hand on her back, then she touched him as they went to leave the balcony, even leaving her hand on his upper arm to register levels of affection and maybe even pride."

In fact, James reckons Melania's body language hints that she's ready to hit the ground running as first lady this time around, and apparently, this includes playing the role of the loving wife, especially as Donald continues championing family values. But whether the former model's newfound affection for her husband will last remains to be seen.