Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Melania Trump pulls her hand away from husband following presidential debate

The first lady flicked away her husband’s hand on Thursday night in what has now become a common gesture

Harriet Alexander
Friday 23 October 2020 11:56 EDT
Comments
Melania Trump appears to pull her hand away from Trump at the end of debate

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Melania Trump sharply pulled her hand away from her husband on Thursday night as they walked off stage following the final presidential debate - a reaction which raised eyebrows on social media.

At the end of the 90 minute discussion, both Mrs Trump and Joe Biden’s wife Jill walked on stage to congratulate their husbands.

It was the first time Mrs Trump, 50, had been seen in public since testing positive for coronavirus on October 1.

She walked to greet her husband, briefly acknowledged the crowd, and then moved to leave the stage.

Mr Trump, 74, took hold of her hand, but she swiftly pulled it back and strode off stage.

“Did anyone else just see melania yank her hand out of trump’s” asked one person on Twitter.

Another critic said: “Even she hates him.”

CBS News’s White House correspondent, Mark Knoeller, tweeted a photo of the pair returning to the White House, hand in hand.

“Did you see the spat when they were leaving the stage?” one asked. 

“Melania pulled her hand away when Trump tried to hold it. Then he gives her a little angry push, elementary school style. It wasn't very nice.”

The first lady has a history of swatting away the president’s hand , with her gestures of flicking him away frequently going viral.

Since then she has often pulled her hand from his, frequently while descending steps and wanting to walk alone.

Critics of the family have seized on the actions as a sign of a fractured marriage; supporters of the Trump insist it is a storm in a teacup.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in