Donald Trump was left embarrassed after his wife Melania appeared to snub him on the White House doorstep on Thursday (29 October). The President and First Lady's Washington DC residence had been adorned for Halloween, which they displayed to reporters.
Earlier that evening, the couple had welcomed 6,000 trick-or-treaters to the South Lawn, distributing chocolate to children. The occasion also featured an Air Force One flyover, while 80-year-old Trump tried to dance to the theme from Ghostbusters.
Awkward moment after festivities
When the festivities wrapped up, Trump reached for Melania's hand - only for her to swiftly pull away before heading inside.
Posting footage of the incident to X, one American observer remarked: "Wow - Halloween at the White House was awkward. Trump tried to hold hands with Melania. She kind of gave him daps, then beelined in. What a weird end to this event."
Reactions on social media
Responding on X, one user joked: "Nothing says 'storybook White House Halloween' quite like an attempted hand-hold turning into a fist-bump-adjacent escape maneuver. Twenty-one seconds in, and the body language started doing its own damn press briefing."
A second said: "Everything with Trump and Melania is awkward." A third declared: "You can always tell when it's the REAL Melania with him, her facial expressions and body language say I'll play diplomatic; don't speak to me, don't touch me and don't look at me." While a fourth X user remarked: "She holds her hand up so he can't grab it!"
Similar incident in September
A similar blunder was spotted back in September, when Trump was rebuffed as Melania declined to hold his hand while he walked the steps of the National Archives.
The presidential pair walked alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping to tour the National Archives as part of the latest activities during the foreign leader's state visit. Throughout the visit, Trump showcased the sacred documents of U.S. democracy to the leader of the world's most powerful communist nation.
However, as the four figures assembled for a photograph, the body language between the President and First Lady seemed to hog most of the attention.
