Melania Trump gives pained grimace after Donald asks her to smile during shrine visit
The First Lady of the United States didn't make much effort after her husband asked her to smile while visiting a Catholic shrine
Melania Trump gave a pained-looking grimace after her husband Donald asked her to smile during a visit to a Catholic shrine. The model turned First Lady of the United States appeared uncomfortable with the president’s request while visiting the Saint John Paul II Shrine at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC Tuesday.
President Trump and Mrs Trump stood for photos during their trip, with the president pulling a tight grin for the cameras. He could be seen asking his wife if she was going to smile, only for the Flotus to respond half-heartedly.
Melania’s grimace was the first public signal of displeasure from the first lady for several years. During her husband’s January 2017 inauguration ceremony, one of her smiles was famously seen collapsing into an expression of sadness while President Trump was being sworn in.
And in the months that followed, Mrs Trump was seen on multiple occasions swatting her husband’s hand away when he attempted to grab on to hers. The Trumps faced claims their marriage was in trouble after allegations of two extra-marital flings by the president re-emerged shortly after his election.
President Trump denied those allegations, with claims about the Trumps’ marital woes subsequently quietening down.
The Trumps’ visit to the shrine – which is dedicated to the memory of former Pope John Paul II – began under a cloud after the United States’ most senior black Catholic bishop condemned the trip.
Shortly before Tuesday’s visit, the Archbishop of Washington, Wilton D Gregory issued a statement saying: ‘I find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious principles, which call us to defend the rights of all people even those with whom we might disagree.
‘Saint Pope John Paul II was an ardent defender of the rights and dignity of human beings. His legacy bears vivid witness to that truth. He certainly would not condone the use of tear gas and other deterrents to silence, scatter or intimidate them for a photo opportunity in front of a place of worship and peace.’
The scathing statement is likely to rile Trump, who is popular among devout Catholic voters for his hardline anti-abortion stance.
Trump was roundly condemned Monday after at least one priest and numerous peaceful protesters were tear-gassed so he could leave the White House to visit a nearby damaged church.
The president stood on the steps of St John’s Episcopal Church while brandishing a Bible, and posed for photos for 17 minutes without saying a prayer.
He also failed to mention George Floyd, the unarmed black man whose death at the hands of four Minneapolis Police Officers last week triggered ongoing protests and riots across the United States.
Bishop Marianne Budde – who oversees St John’s – told The New York Times: ‘He did not pray. He did not mention George Floyd, he did not mention the agony of people who have been subjected to this kind of horrific expression of racism and white supremacy for hundreds of years.’
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