Melania Trump is said to have appeared notably withdrawn as she joined her husband Donald Trump in welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, to the United States.
The first lady stood next to the US president at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday as they came to personally greet Xi after he arrived for the high-profile three-day state visit.
Melania Trump has had a notably limited public schedule since the start of Donald Trump’s second term in office, and in her latest public appearance, an expert said that her behavior was “restrained.”
Melania Trump’s Behavior Was ‘Impossible To Ignore’ During The Official Event
Melania’s demeanor during President Xi’s arrival ceremony seemed to have caught the attention of one body language professional who notes that she expressed little emotion while receiving the president and his wife.
Speaking to Irish Star, body language expert Chris Pardoe described Melania’s presentation as “extraordinarily restrained.”
He said, “She walked with a formal, measured pace and then settled into a rigid, forward-facing stance.”
Pardoe added that the first lady kept her arms “straight at her sides and her expression barely changed” while she stood for photographs.
The expert took particular note of her stillness, which she largely maintained, and only briefly made noticeable movement when she adjusted her hair, which, according to Pardoe, became the “visual event of the clip.”
“It is the one moment when we see a personal movement interrupt the ceremonial discipline,” Pardoe explained, and noted that Melania returned to being completely still after the brief motion.
Melania’s stillness was especially notable for the expert because the others were comparably more animated and the first lady supposedly expressed through her body, “distance from the noise around her.”
Pardoe said that Melania wasn’t “warm” and offered none of the “flash of personality,” smile, or glance expected of such an occasion. The first lady remained “disciplined” and gave the cameras “very little.”
Another Body Language Expert Says Melania Trump Appeared ‘Warm’ Toward Peng
While Pardoe seemed to paint the first lady’s presentation at the welcoming as restrained and not warm, a separate expert painted a different picture of the first lady being warmer, especially towards Peng, the Chinese first lady.
Lillian Glass, a body language expert with 40 years of experience, told The Mirror that Trump and his first lady presented a “striking picture” as they approached the Chinese leaders at Joint Base Andrews to welcome them.
Glass observed that Trump and Melania, as well as Xi and Peng, “walked in unison, taking small but deliberate steps.”
She said, “Peng and Melania appeared especially warm toward one another, smiling and engaging throughout the ceremony.”
Melania Trump Approached Her Guests With ‘Cordiality,’ Expert Claims
According to Glass, Melania greeted her guests with “numerous gestures of cordiality.” The president also made gestures that could communicate “informality and attentiveness.”
The expert described their interaction as warm and less rigid and noted that the first couple showed up united as the event was “unmistakably designed to communicate cordiality, respect and personal warmth.”
The arrival of the Chinese dignitaries marked one of Melania’s few public appearances besides her husband, a pattern of absence that has contributed to speculations surrounding the relationship of the president and his wife.
The US First Lady’s Limited Public Schedule Fuels Marriage Speculations
Melania’s Joint Base Andrews appearance comes amid a time when she has been notably distant from various public engagements involving the president, fueling rumors implying marital strife.
Reports have claimed that Trump and Melania lead separate lives rather than the shared life expected of a long-time married couple.
The First Lady avoided a good number of high-profile events this year, including the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner and the July transfer ceremony for US service members killed in the Iran war.
Melania was also absent at the funeral of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham on July 28 and didn’t accompany her husband to Ireland’s Irish Open, where he joked that she was there with him in spirit.
She recently addressed the repeated absences in a September 23 appearance on Fox & Friends.
When asked about her limited presence at events involving her husband, she said, “I’m very focused, I’m very detail-oriented, and I’m very selective with what I do. You don’t see me everywhere, but behind the scenes, I’m working nonstop.”
About President Xi’s State Visit
President Xi’s three-day state visit is expected to cover discussions on major issues including Taiwan, trade, important minerals, and artificial intelligence and its safety.
According to ABC News, Trump told reporters that he would address the Iran war in his meeting with the Chinese leader.
He said, “We’ll see. We’ll see. I’ll be talking about that and many other subjects. We’ll see, but it’s all coming along well, including that.”
Xi and his wife were guests of honor at the White House State Dinner, which reportedly included tech CEOs like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, and Michael Dell.
