Are the Trumps divorcing? Melania holds Veterans Day escort's arm, stands apart from husband throughout event
First Lady Melania Trump, on Wednesday, November 11, walked arm-in-arm with a soldier and seemingly stood apart from President Donald Trump at the Veterans Day wreath-laying ceremony. A masked military man escorted Melania and sheltered her under an umbrella with him during the first couple's visit to Arlington National Cemetery. The event marked President Trump's first public event since the 2020 presidential elections were called in Biden's favor.
Although many attendees were seen wearing masks at the event, neither Melania nor the president was wearing protective face covers at the cemetery. The first couple recently recovered from Covid-19. Vice President Mike Pence and the president's eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, were also present at the event. However, shortly after the pictures and videos from the event emerged, many speculated about a rift between Melania and the president. The first lady, during previous visits to Arlington on Veterans Day, had been in much closer proximity to her husband.
Initial rumors of the first couple's alleged differences were fueled by former Trump aide Omarosa Manigault Newman, who suggested that the couple's marriage could end in divorce when their stint at the White House ends in January. "Melania is counting every minute until he is out of office and she can divorce. If Melania were to try to pull the ultimate humiliation and leave while he's in office, he would find a way to punish her," Omarosa claimed.
The first lady, despite perceived differences between the couple by many, appeared to support her husband on Sunday, November 8, by talking about "illegal" votes on Twitter, in a reference to her husband's claim of voter fraud. The president and his administration have not yet provided any evidence of such fraud.
Multiple social media users, last month, noted that Melania, at the end of the final presidential debate, appeared to yank her hand away from her husband as they walked off the stage. On a separate occasion, many noted that the first lady had appeared to dodge a kiss from her husband after her speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC) in August.
The first couple, during last year's Veterans Day appearance in New York, had stood together and was accompanied by a parade across the city. While in 2018, the couple had joined world leaders and their spouses at an Armistice Day event in Paris to mark 100 years since the end of World War I. According to a report published by The Atlantic, on September 3, Trump canceled a trip to Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018 after referring to deceased soldiers as "losers." The report added that the president was also worried about getting his hair wet in the rain.
"Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers," the president allegedly told his senior staff members in 2018 on the morning of the visit. Trump, according to the outlet, also called over 1,800 marines who were killed at Belleau Wood, a World War I battle between German and American troops, "suckers." Shortly after widespread outrage over the reports, Trump denied the allegations.