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RNC 2020: Melania declines Trump's request to greet maskless crowd, Internet quips 'that's not in prenup'

A stumped-looking FLOTUS subtly shook her head to suggest that she had no intention of greeting the crowd amid the pandemic

President Donald Trump and Melania Trump made a surprise appearance at Fort McHenry, Baltimore, for the third night of the Republican National Convention, where Mike Pence formally accepted the vice-presidential nomination on Wednesday, August 26.

When the trio started greeting the audience after Pence's speech, the POTUS asked the first lady if she wanted to go down the podium and personally greet the crowd. A stumped-looking FLOTUS subtly shook her head to suggest that she had no intention of greeting the crowd amid the pandemic when most of the people in the audience were not following social distancing measures and were not wearing face masks.

In a video posted by Sawyer Hackett, the senior adviser to Julian Castro, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the awkward moment was clearly seen. "Trump suggests to Melania that they go 'say hello' to the crowd. She subtly shakes her head no," the caption to the video said. In the short clip, Trump turns away from his wife before he could properly see her reaction.

There were many hilarious reactions to the video. Here are some of them:

"I’m not getting paid to shake hands."

"So alpha. Melania I mean."

"I’ve never seen her eyes that open before."

"She is in Hell (of her own making)."

"She literally hates him....it's so hilarious her face! she can't hide it."

"That not in prenup."

"Ooh! Melania ignores him! She's in charge in this relationship. She can ruin him."

"Because Melania’s ‘pay to play’ for that event didn’t include having to play nice. #BeBeast"

"No shake, it was the fear in her eyes of mingling with the plebs."

Despite the video, however, CNN reported that Trump and Melania did go down to meet some of the audience members in person. In a segment anchored by Wolf Blitzer, it was reported that many of the people in the audience were not tested for Covid-19 before they attended the RNC. It was not clear how many of them met with the president and the first lady.

A CNN reporter said that the RNC event for August 26 had a capacity of 135,000 and all the chairs were filled. And on August 27, when Trump is expected to formally accept his nomination as the Republican presidential nominee, the crowd size is going to be 10 times that. The reporter added that the audience members were sitting pretty close to each other, foregoing any social distancing measures.

Pence officially endorsed the president, on the night, before accepting his own nomination. “In these challenging times... our country needs a president who believes in America. Who believes in the boundless capacity of the American people to meet any challenge, defeat any foe, and defend the freedoms we all hold dear...America needs four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House," he told the crowd, adding, "for the last four years, I have watched this president endure unrelenting attacks and get up every day and fight to keep the promises he made to the American people. So, with gratitude for the confidence President Donald Trump has placed in me, the support of our Republican party, and the grace of God, I humbly accept your nomination to run and serve as vice president of the United States.”