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Melania's pained grimace after Trump forces her to smile for photos sends social media into meltdown

The president is seen in the video turning to the first lady and appears to utter, 'Why aren't you smiling?'

Melania Trump could only manage a pained grimace when she was asked by her husband to smile for a photo-op after the first couple visited Saint John Paul II Shrine at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC on Tuesday, June 2, even as country-wide protests raged on following the death of George Floyd in police custody. 

In a video of their trip to the shrine, which came on the occasion of the 41st anniversary of Pope John Paul Il’s first pilgrimage to Poland, President Donald Trump flashed a wide grin as he faced the cameras before realizing that his wife, who was standing beside him, wearing black shades, was looking serious. Although it was inaudible in the video that is currently circulating on the internet, the POTUS turns to the first lady and appears to utter, "Why aren't you smiling?" A second later, Melania flashes something between a grimace and a brief grin before returning to her stone-faced expression. As soon as Trump sees his wife smiling, he quickly grins so that the cameras can capture the moment and then the couple walks away from the spot.

The Trumps' trip to the shrine came after Archbishop Wilton Gregory, the highest-ranking African-American bishop in the United States, released a statement condemning the use of police force and Trump himself in no uncertain words.

"I find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious principles, which call us to defend the rights of all people even those with whom we might disagree. Saint Pope John Paul II was an ardent defender of the rights and dignity of human beings. His legacy bears vivid witness to that truth. He certainly would not condone the use of tear gas and other deterrents to silence, scatter or intimidate them for a photo opportunity in front of a place of worship and peace," he said.

The trip was Trump's second photo-op at a religious site in a span of 24 hours after the president stood on the steps of St John’s Episcopal Church while brandishing a Bible on June 1. Minutes before he visited the site of the nearby damaged church, he ordered the police to unleash tear gas on the peaceful protesters near the site, an action which ended up injuries at least one priest who was showing solidarity with the protesters.

The Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese, Mariann Edgar Budde, who oversees St John’s told the New York Times: "He did not pray. He did not mention George Floyd, he did not mention the agony of people who have been subjected to this kind of horrific expression of racism and white supremacy for hundreds of years." Later she went on CNN to add that Trump "used a bible and church of my diocese without permission as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus,"

Trump also evoked memes of antichrist when he appeared to hold the Bible upside-down while posing at St John’s Episcopal Church. When clips and images of the president incorrectly holding the holy text went viral on social media, the internet went ballistic. Author John G Hertzler wrote, "The Bible was upside down....if @realDonaldTrump could even read, he might have noticed. @mariannebudde, the Bishop of the church called Mr. Trump’s photo op stunt DISGUSTING & a DISGRACE! #BunkerBoy #TrumpBaby #TrumpIncitesViolence." Another angry user commented, "He's holding the bible upside down! No respect for our nation, its laws, its people or even his religion. Our dictator in chief took his photo op with an upside down bible. Is that like an inverted cross symbolism?"

Several people began wondering if Trump holding the Bible was "the Antichrist". A user tweeted, "Wait, he was holding the Bible upside down? You don't think. It couldn't be... Is @realDonaldTrump the Anti Christ? That would explain why he didn't go inside the church." Another user wondered, "Trump in front of a church with an upside down and backwards bible? Is he secretly... the anti-Christ??!"