Melania Trump appears unhappy over Mark Zuckerberg's ‘rude’ behavior at White House dinner

While President Donald Trump was answering a reporter’s question, Mark Zuckerberg was seen on camera sitting beside him and talking to someone else
PUBLISHED SEP 9, 2025
Melania Trump seemed displeased by Mark Zuckerberg’s inattentive behavior during President Donald Trump’s speech at the White House dinner (Screengrab@JohnMcCloy/X)
Melania Trump seemed displeased by Mark Zuckerberg’s inattentive behavior during President Donald Trump’s speech at the White House dinner (Screengrab@JohnMcCloy/X)


 

WASHINGTON, DC: What really happened between Mark Zuckerberg and Melania Trump? Is the first lady upset with the Meta CEO? A brief moment at a high-profile White House dinner has sparked widespread speculation after Zuckerberg’s allegedly "rude" behavior drew public scrutiny.

The event, hosted by President Donald Trump and Melania on September 4, was meant to focus on America’s leadership in AI innovation, but it was a viral video clip that stole the spotlight.

In the footage, Zuckerberg is seen chatting with someone next to him while Trump is answering a reporter's question, seemingly ignoring the president, a move that many believe left Melania visibly displeased.

 (L-R) White House “AI and Crypto Czar” David Scahs, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump share a moment during a dinner at the State Dining Room of the White House on September 4, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted tech and business leaders for dinner after they joined the first lady’s meeting of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Education Task Force at the White House this afternoon. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
(L-R) White House 'AI and Crypto Czar' David Scahs, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump share a moment during a dinner at the State Dining Room of the White House on September 4, 2025, in Washington, DC (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Melania Trump allegedly not happy with Mark Zuckerberg's behavior

According to a viral video posted by an X user, a 35-second clip has been widely circulated across social media platforms. The video was captioned, “Mark Zuckerberg at the White House tech dinner was TALKING while the President was speaking.” It continued, “Melania noticed & was not happy. Etiquette rules….When the President stands in The White House NOBODY SITS & When the President speaks in The White House…NOBODY SPEAKS.”

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as (L-4th L) White House “AI and Crypto Czar” David Scahs, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and first lady Melania Trump listen during a dinner at the State Dining Room of the White House on September 4, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted tech and business leaders for dinner after they joined the first lady’s meeting of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Education Task Force at the White House this afternoon. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump speaks as (L-4th L) White House 'AI and Crypto Czar' David Scahs, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and first lady Melania Trump listen during a dinner at the State Dining Room of the White House on September 4, 2025 in Washington, DC (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The clip shows President Trump responding to a reporter’s question, while Zuckerberg, seated next to him, turns his head away and engages in a casual conversation with the person beside him. At one point, Zuckerberg is even seen smiling and appearing amused, in stark contrast to the serious tone of Trump’s remarks.

Melania Trump, seated nearby, is seen glancing at Zuckerberg with a visibly displeased expression. Though she attempts to focus on her husband’s response, she repeatedly looks back at Zuckerberg, seemingly distracted by his behavior.

In the final moments of the video, Melania appears clearly disturbed, with her attention visibly pulled away from the discussion, a reaction many viewers interpreted as frustration over Zuckerberg’s apparent disregard for decorum.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks as (L-R) CEO of Social Capital Chamath Palihapitiya, White House “AI and Crypto Czar” David Scahs, U.S. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates listen during a dinner at the State Dining Room of the White House on September 4, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump hosted tech and business leaders for dinner after they joined the first lady’s meeting of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Education Task Force at the White House this afternoon. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks as (L-R) CEO of Social Capital Chamath Palihapitiya, White House 'AI and Crypto Czar' David Scahs, US President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates listen during a dinner at the State Dining Room of the White House on September 4, 2025 in Washington, DC (Alex Wong/Getty Images)          

Internet reacts to Melania Trump’s reaction to Mark Zuckerberg’s behavior

The video clip, which has garnered over 2.6 million views and more than 3,100 comments, shows Melania Trump appearing visibly disturbed by Mark Zuckerberg’s behavior during President Trump’s remarks. Reactions online have been intense and divided.

One user wrote, “So disrespectful.”



 

Another added, “Zuckerberg has no class whatsoever. Rude beyond belief!”



 

A third commenter stated, “That was rude of Zuckerberg!”



 

While another went further, calling him, “Zuckerberg is a CLASSLESS, RUDE, LOWLIFE!”



 

Some users felt Melania should have intervened, with one person commenting, “She should have spoken up and said politely to please not talk while her husband is speaking.”



 

Others focused on Melania herself, with one post reading, “Melania is so freaking beautiful, especially when she has that angry face! 😛”



 

Another commenter criticized Zuckerberg harshly, writing, “Zuckerberg is a total a**. What the heck is he doing sitting at the table next to the President? It was no mistake his shunning insult by talking while he was speaking. Never ever offer the hand up to the Zuckerberg schmuck.”



 

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

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