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'LEAVE HIM': Twitter reacts to video that seems to show Melania Trump flinching at her husband's touch

First Lady Melania Trump appears to flinch when her husband touches her arm (Screen capture)
David Ferguson
February 22, 2017

On Saturday, First Lady Melania Trump gave the invocation before Pres. Donald Trump's campaign-style rally in Melbourne, Florida by reciting the Lord's Prayer.

Cosmopolitan.com scribe Madison Feller wrote on Wednesday that when you watch video of the moments leading up to the prayer, "(Y)ou can see that before Melania began the Lord's Prayer, President Trump came over and touched her on the arm. As he does so, Melania seems to flinch and look away before saying 'thank you' and moving on — around the 11 second mark in the video below."

Sure enough, at the moment when the president's hand touches the skin of her arm, Melania Trump's chin jerks to the left, as if she is flinching and trying not to swear or cry out.

Rumors have flown since the presidential campaign began that Melania is unhappy in her marriage. In recent weeks, insiders close to the First Lady have said that she is "miserable" in her new position. The former model has thus far declined to join her husband during the week at the White House and has given conflicting signals as to whether she ever will.

Critics, however, point out that Mrs. Trump is a free and autonomous adult who can leave whenever she want. To paint her as a passive prisoner in her marriage "only works if, in fact, you believe that Melania is a blank slate or, at least, a woman simply acted on rather than a woman actively collaborating with her husband’s ideologies," said Jezebel.com.

Feller pointed to the infamous "smile" video from Pres. Trump's inauguration day in which the First Lady appears sunk in misery until her husband turns his attention her way. She smiles, somewhat stagily, for his benefit, then her face collapses back into a scowl the moment he looks away.

Other social media users saw Saturday's rally and the moment that passed between the president and first lady and were alarmed.

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