As footage emerges of an ‘animated’ exchange between President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump aboard Marine One, body language expert Judi James has shared her thoughts on what was really going on between the pair
President Donald Trump’s address at the United Nations General Assembly proved controversial, and his return journey home to the White House also raised plenty of questions.
After he and First Lady Melania Trump boarded Marine One in New York, the pair appeared locked in an intense exchange. In scenes caught on camera through the window of the presidential aircraft, POTUS could be seen pointing and waving a finger at his wife, who shook her head in response.
This followed Trump’s explosive reaction to an escalator which stopped working after he and Melania got on, inside the UN building. Describing the incident as “absolutely sabotage”, the president argued that he and Melania could have been seriously injured, declaring, “The people that did it should be arrested!”
While the Trumps’ tense Marine One exchange with Melania has sparked further curiosity, body language expert Judi James has noted that the couple exhibits “contrasting signals” in this mysterious clip.
READ MORE: Donald Trump spotted sternly waving finger at Melania in awkward conversation
According to Judi, this conversation might not be as tempestuous as it appears to be on the surface, with Melania’s smiles and laughter indicating a more amicable exchange.
Judi told the Mirror: “The body language in this clip shows contrasting signals, but it needs mentioning that Melania is actually smiling as she shakes her head, suggesting Trump might be relating some event from the day using some illustrative gestures and the pointed finger for emphasis and making her laugh in the process.”
Reflecting on the tumultuous day the couple had just navigated, Judi added: “She looks like a calming presence, and Trump has just had to deal with a stopped escalator and a broken autocue. Melania’s hands are clasped calmly on the table while Trump’s are more animated, and when she lifts her hands, she shows her palms out to him with no real sign of tension.”
After the escalator incident, the 79-year-old president blasted the UN, insisting that it was “amazing that Melania and I didn’t fall forward onto the sharp edges of these steel steps, face first. It was only that we were each holding the handrail tightly, or it would have been a disaster”.
BBC News reports that the UN has previously stated that President Trump’s videographer, who had been travelling up the escalator backwards, may have triggered a safety mechanism, resulting in the abrupt stop.
This wasn’t the only thing that Trump took issue with during his time at the UN. In what he has dubbed a “triple sabotage”, a teleprompter began malfunctioning during his speech, while there was reportedly also an audio issue in the auditorium.
Taking to Truth Social after the event, President Trump told followers that he would be sending a letter to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres demanding an investigation into what had happened.
He raged: “A REAL DISGRACE took place at the United Nations yesterday – Not one, not two, but three very sinister events! This wasn’t a coincidence; this was triple sabotage at the UN. They ought to be ashamed of themselves.”
Making reference to an article in the Times, which reported that UN workers had joked about turning the escalators off, President Trump insisted: “This was absolutely sabotage… All security tapes at the escalator should be saved, especially the emergency stop button. The Secret Service is involved.”
A UN official later informed the BBC that the White House had been operating the teleprompter at the time of the speech, having brought their own laptops along, which they then plugged into the UN’s system.
Responding to President Trump’s claims about the supposed audio issues, a UN official also clarified: ”The sound system was designed to allow people at their seats to hear speeches being translated into six different languages through earpieces.”
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