- Donald and Melania Trump have been married since 2005, long before his now-famous presidential campaign was underway.
- Since then, their marriage has weathered more than a few storms.
- Body language expert Patti Wood took a look at three photos of the Trumps during his presidency plus one from the campaign trail to ascertain how their relationship has changed.
- Visit INSIDER’s homepage for more stories.
The first couple always get scrutinized for every move they make, and the Trumps are no different. The number of scandals throughout their time in the White House, however, might be unprecedented.
INSIDER spoke with body language expert Patti Wood to determine the state of their relationship after all the stress, reported infidelity, and general toll that being a political couple takes on a marriage.
Keep scrolling to get the inside scoop on the Trumps’ marriage.
This photo was taken during the Trumps’ appearance on the “Today Show” in 2016 while he was on the campaign trail.
According to Wood, this photo does show genuine enjoyment from both of them, especially the then-presidential candidate.
"He's laughing very spontaneously, it's a very real laugh that goes all the way up through his body, and lifts up his shoulders, lifts up his body, lifts up his cheeks, and he's squinting. He's in on it, he's not offended." Why would he be offended? Perhaps because this photo was snapped just after his wife told a joke about him needing to get off Twitter.
"It seems like they're happy and laughing together, [but] she's just made fun of him," Wood said. "She's leaning away from him. To me, that makes him more the butt of the joke ... It's not a joke between the two of them ... It doesn't draw them closer."
However, that doesn't mean Melania is unhappy here. Rather, this is more relaxed than we've seen her since her husband became president. "She's voluntarily touching him," Wood explained, whereas these days, "she acquiesces to touching, she matches his touching sometimes, and sometimes she cringes from his touch, but here she's reaching out to touch him."
This attempt at hand-holding was captured in April 2019 at the White House Easter Egg Roll.
According to Wood, this resembles the first lady that we see now, what Wood calls "iconic Melania, the president's wife."
She continued, "He's reaching out, but reaching out and down. He often pushes her hand down when they hold hands, and he's lifting up the tips of her fingers to meet his ... I don't know what the context is, but neither of them is happy."
The key to seeing this obvious unhappiness is in the first lady's posture. Her shoulders are forward and down, almost slouching, and her arms are stiff and close to her sides. That's called "a danger response." With that type of response, you freeze, "bring your limbs closer to your body, you hunker down. You make yourself small."
This pose has become so associated with her that Wood calls it "The Melania." It's important to note, though, that Wood said that this was not always the way she was. It's changed since she entered the White House.
"This has changed. Her relationship with him has changed, so she feels the need to be formally on guard ... There's so much tension around her mouth. Juxtapose [these] photos with the pictures of her at the beginning of their relationship, she was always laughing."
Here's a rare instance of PDA from the first couple, taken in May 2019.
The first thing Wood noticed in this photo was the president's grip on her arm. "It's a grip. You can see the indents on her arm ... He often [grips] onto her to bring her closer in. There's a distinct difference between that grip, the tension, the placement, the indent on somebody's arm, and a hold [or] embrace, to enjoy somebody being close to you."
Wood also told INSIDER that Melania's body language clearly telegraphs how uncomfortable she is. "If you look at her body, she's not naturally moving in towards him, only her neck and head are forward, the rest is held back. There's no rounding of her body, her shoulders, her arms, her belly, she's not rounding in towards him."
President Trump, for his part, isn't leaning in with his body either. It's just his head and neck going forward. The only thing that differentiates this interaction from one he could have with his daughter, or a foreign dignitary, is that grip on her arm, according to Wood.
Last up, a photo of President Trump and his first lady walking across the White House lawn in April 2019.
This type of hand-holding, Wood explained, is quite common of Donald and Melania. "He loves to hold hands. Sometimes, he's stepping in front of her and pulling ... We often see them holding hands. That need for connection with her, the need to have her by his side is very, very strong."
However, it was also clear to Wood that the two are not in sync. "Typically, when you see couples holding hands, one or both of them is smiling, happy, lifted up, looking in the same direction as their partner, but often when they're holding hands, she's a step behind."
Their expressions are also a key indicator of what might actually be going on. "The expressions on their faces are pressed lips, withholding their true feelings, pressed in, [and] downward at the corner of their mouths."
She also emphasized the difference between interlacing your fingers when holding hands, as opposed to going palm to palm as these two do. "Interlacing typically means more affection and intimacy, and being intertwined together."
She also pointed out that a couple is forced to be in sync when interlacing fingers, or else it causes physical pain. Going palm to palm allows for one person to push or pull the other.
Wood concluded that this isn't a one-time thing. "It's not like, 'Oh my God, we got one negative photo of them holding hands.' It's very indicative of their normal state," she told INSIDER.
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