Credit: Reuters via U.S. Network Pool
Donald and Melania Trump shared a heated exchange aboard Marine One, in a rare public show of marital discord.
Returning from the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, where the US president gave a rambling speech and fumed over alleged “sabotage” on Tuesday night, the couple put on a less-than diplomatic display.
Facing each other head-on, the first lady, 55, could be seen shaking her head and gesturing at her husband as the helicopter landed on the White House South Lawn.
Mr Trump then cut his wife off with a pointed finger, but Mrs Trump continued talking and gesturing as the president turned his head disapprovingly.
It is unclear what the pair were discussing in their conversation, caught by camera crews through the helicopter’s windows, but their demeanour changed quickly as they exited Marine One and walked hand-in-hand to the White House, giving a brief wave to reporters.
Mr and Mrs Trump had experienced a tense trip to the UN headquarters in New York, during which the president claimed they were the victims of “triple sabotage” orchestrated by UN staffers.
Citing “three sinister events”, including a broken teleprompter, an escalator that stopped when Mrs Trump stepped on it and sound problems during his speech, Mr Trump has demanded an investigation.
“The people that did it should be arrested!” Mr Trump said, calling the events a “real disgrace”. His allegations followed reports that staff at the international body had joked about pranking the president during his visit.
Mrs Trump kept a low profile during the start of her husband’s second term, with her rare appearances sparking international headlines about her whereabouts and her role at the White House.
However, more recently, she has been stepping out the shadows, appearing to embrace her role and platform.
Insiders have been crediting her with being an instrumental, yet quiet force in foreign policy decisions, while diplomatic figures are increasingly seeing an audience with Mrs Trump as a way to influence the administration.
The Telegraph last month, for example, revealed she was a key factor in Mr Trump’s decision to launch air strikes on Syria, abandoning campaign promises not to intervene in the country’s civil war.
On the conflict in Ukraine, she is seen as responsible for Mr Trump’s tougher stance on Russia. During Mr Trump’s Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin, he handed the Russian leader a letter from his wife, imploring him to help the children.
Such moves have earned her huge support in Ukraine and sprouted the online meme: “Agent Melania Trumpenko”.
That work continued this week, on the sidelines of the UN summit, she launched a first spouses club focusing on using technology to help children, with Olena Zelenska, Volodymyr Zelensky’s wife, in attendance.
The pair posed together for a photo, both in white, smiling in front of a fireplace.
Ms Zelenska said they discussed their “shared values, foremost among them the protection of children and their childhood”.
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