Body language expert reveals why Trump was 'mindful' in touching moments with Melania at pope's funeral
VATICAN CITY, VATICAN: President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump shared rare moments of PDA while attending the funeral of the late Pope Francis at the Vatican City on Saturday, April 26, body language expert Judi James told The Sun.
The couple presented a united front at the event, with the FLOTUS maintaining a solemn expression and remaining by her husband's side throughout the day till they got back on Air Force One after service. She even reportedly helped him avoid making his interaction with world leaders awkward during the three-hour catholic mass.
The date of the funeral coincided with Melania's 55th birthday, of which the POTUS was particularly mindful. He had his arms wrapped around her when they departed the White House on April 25, and assured reporters, "She's going to have a great birthday. She's got a working birthday. I'll take her for dinner on the Boeing. I'll take her for dinner on Air Force One."
Judi James' opinion on Donald Trump's rapport with wife Melania
Judi James reportedly analysed Donald Trump and Melania's interactions during their time at the Vatican and claimed that the POTUS's behavior was on account of a number of personal reasons.
"I think that (Trump) was very aware that it was also his wife's birthday, and also he seemed very mindful of the fact that Melania did seem to be in a reasonable state of mourning," she noted.
As the second Roman Catholic first lady after Jacqueline Kennedy, Melania appeared emotional at the pope's funeral, which may have prompted Donald to appear more affectionate than usual.
"When they stood in front of the coffin, we could see him place an arm around her to get her into position. He was much more tactile with her," revealed Judi, adding that the pair "caught one another's eyes" during the ceremony.
"He spoke to her. He made a smile, he made a laugh. And although that might be normal for most couples, for those two, that is quite a rare event. So they were very warm together."
A key moment caught on camera is when Melania whispered into Donald's ear when he was standing still at a time when world leaders were encouraged to shake hands with each other and offer a "sign of peace."
Lip reader Nicola Hickling suggested that she told him, "You should do it," which got the POTUS moving.
James supported the claim and noted that the FLOTUS "had to remind or explain to her husband what this is all about."
Judi James on Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican
Donald Trump met his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, for the first time since their public spat at the Oval Office back in February. The two pulled up chairs together for a seemingly intense one-on-one conversation at St Peter's Basilica.
Judging their posture, James observed, "Although this pose may have looked at first glance like two men locking horns, there was an element of the head closeness, and some of the eye contact, that could have suggested they were in an enduring battle between the two of them."
"But looking at their body language and looking at overall, plus the kind of smaller micro details, it looked to me very much as though these were two men having a very colluded discussion," she continued.
"They look to me like two grand masters playing a game of chess, and I think that might be symbolic of the kind of discussion that's going on right now."
According to the expert, Zelensky appeared "slightly shell-shocked" and Trump was "in a state of aggressive arousal" during their conversation. However, she insisted that their body language suggested that they considered each other as equals.
"Nobody's chest is puffed, their backs are hunched to get an intimate conversation, which would have been hard because the setting is almost bizarre," she noted. "They appeared to be listening to each other. There was no state of power posturing or aggressive arousal for Trump. He didn't look as though he was trying to prove anything here. The way that he sat with his hands clasped and his head slightly lowered suggested that he was prepared to listen."
