Melania's body language shows 'lack of affection' for Trump, couple appears 'self-conscious' unlike Obamas: Expert
From being over-conscious of her position to showing minimal public displays of affection towards her husband, a body language expert weighed in on how Melania Trump's relationship with President Donald Trump had changed ever since she assumed the role of the first lady of the United States three and a half years ago. Body language expert Judi James told Express that although the present first couple was never as affectionate or candid in public as their predecessors Michelle and Barack Obama, there seems to be a growing "lack of affection" between them nowadays, which shines through in their awkward appearances together.
“It would be a difficult call to decide if Donald and Melania are currently using natural-looking body language together as the only ‘natural’-looking shots of them as a couple dates back to the time when they were having fun together in a nightclub many years ago. Since he won the vote four years ago we don’t seem to see any ‘behind-the-scenes’ glimpses of the pair just hanging out, or even any more romantic poses together in the style of Michelle and Barack. Their more telling body language ‘moments’ seem to be confined to odd touches or hand-holding, although these do appear to have become more common between them recently. The couple appears to look self-conscious together which may be a sign of a lack of affection," she said.
Apparently, the way they behave in public could be in line with the PR team's instructions. “Their poses here do look self-conscious but that would be natural for their White House e-branding as POTUS and FLOTUS with the eyes of the world on them, especially now that Trump is campaigning to save his job as President in the upcoming elections," James said. In recent weeks, Melania has been seen campaigning beside her husband on multiple occasions ahead of the upcoming election in November.
However, the election also seemed to have strengthened the bond and understand between the pair as Melania grows more confident and used to being in the public eye in her high-profile position. “With the elections looming though they do seem to have developed a stronger non-verbal brand as a couple, perhaps because Melania has risen in status signaling to a position of something bordering on an equality with her husband," James said.
Apart from Melania supporting her husband in his high-profile job, she is also seen on running her own charity work which proves that she has sought to be more assertive and find more equal ground with her husband. The body language expert said: “The couple now tend to stride out side-by-side as though Melania is finally taking a more assertive approach and as though both she and her husband recognize her value in terms of getting him back into office.”
The expert also opined that just because the couple refuses to show much PDA does not mean that they were having marital problems as such. James continued: “Donald will now use some back-touching gestures to suggest affection for and even a sense of protection of his wife in public. The couple is also more likely to use eye contact in their poses together, too. Touch rituals can come cheap but eye-to-eye contact is a more powerful communicator and it is usually only used by couples who are close or like-minded in their thinking.”
It just meant that were also close to each other away from the public eye, and it shows through as they continue to engage in little gestures like hand-holding during events. "The couple has also struggled with their hand-holding in the past but it now seems to be a mutually-approved ritual. Donald’s hand might be on top in the clasps but the way Melania’s fingers curl up around his hand shows it is a reciprocated gesture. If she were totally against the PDA we could see her fingers held straight or just hanging from his hand," James said.