Melania Trump was filmed apparently refusing to hold her husband Donald Trump's hand during a recent public appearance in Washington, only taking it when the US president reached a small flight of stairs.
AccordingtoTheDaily Beast, the moment has since gone viral online, as scrutiny of the Trump marriage has been a minor political industry for years, and it has sharpened again as the 79-year-old mounts another run for the White House while facing backlash from critics over his age, health, and judgement.
The latesthand-holding momenthas become a fresh data point in that endless dissection, seized on by commentators as evidence of both marital frost and physical frailty.
When Melania doesn't want to hold Trump's hand!On the sidelines of the White House state dinner in honor of the King of Britain.pic.twitter.com/UFhWn34h9b
The clip was discussed in detail onThe Daily Beast's podcast on 5 May, where the outlet's chief content officer, Joanna Coles, argued that Melania Trump looked 'visibly unimpressed' with her husband during the event.
Coles said she was struck by how Melania appeared to brush off Donald Trump's hand several times, only finally taking it when they approached the steps and he had no bannister to grip.
And here’s Melania, obviously disgusted by Donnie touching her 😆pic.twitter.com/7HZBFOW7o4
Coles described it as a 'semi-tragic moment,' suggesting it hinted at friction between the couple and a growing physical reliance by Trump on his wife. In her reading, Melania's eventual decision to take his hand was less an act of affection than a practical concession to his need for support on the stairs.
The moment Coles said crystallised a broader concern. On the same podcast, she argued that Trump was 'decaying right before our eyes,' pointing to what she characterised assigns of declining mental and physical conditionand a pattern of increasingly erratic political decisions.
Coles claimed that Trump seemed to be trying to 'outrun his decay' with relentless public activity, only for small slips, such as the uneasy walk down the steps, to betray his vulnerability.
Source: International Business Times UK
