Melania's Side-Eye At Trump After Awkward Escalator Moment Is Throwing Some Serious Daggers

Melania Trump often appears in public wearing either large sunglasses or a wide-brimmed hat, and we think we finally understand why. When the first lady attends an event with her husband  — that's President Donald Trump to you — it frequently seems hard for her to disguise her feelings towards him. For instance, during the 2025 9/11 memorial service, Melania's grim face said she was over it all as an oblivious Donald seemingly dozed off next to her. She made no move to look at or nudge her husband, making for a supremely awkward moment. Just two weeks later, the first couple attended the United Nations General Assembly, where once again the first lady seemed to be going through the motions without a pair of shades to hide behind.

As the Trumps stepped onto the escalator in the U.N. lobby, it abruptly stopped, forcing them to brace themselves on the handrails to keep from falling. Melania turned and looked behind her before proceeding to walk up the stairs; the president followed a few seconds later. Sharp-eyed viewers observed that she seemed to be giving Donald an icy side-eye. "The love affair continues," quipped one user on X, formerly known as Twitter, and plenty of others were quick to agree. 

As one commenter snarked, "Looks like an ad for a perfume called Resentment." Another had a more sinister take: "She's looking around before pushing him down the stairs." Referencing a persistent rumor about Donald Trump's body odor, one user cracked, "I have a feeling she smells something rotten." Apart from the withering stare, there were other signs that Donald's marriage to Melania is a mess, without either of them even having to utter a word. 

Trump staffers clearly suspected that the United Nations escalators (and, later, the president's malfunctioning teleprompter) had been sabotaged by insiders. As White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt threatened on X, "If someone at the UN intentionally stopped the escalator as the President and First Lady were stepping on, they need to be fired and investigated immediately." But the real sabotage may have been how Donald and Melania Trump did their part to undermine their personal relationship. Take, for example, the first couple's entrance into the U.N. lobby. The Trumps walked through the doors hand in hand, but as they stopped to face the crowd of waiting reporters, Donald pulled on his wife's hand to bring her a step closer to him. Even then, both leaned slightly away from each other. 

The president politely guided Melania towards the escalator, but after it stopped, she proceeded to continue walking up without looking back to make sure her husband was behind her. At the top, the Trumps walked separately and barely glanced at each other. Topping it off, Melania appeared "zoned-out," as the Daily Mail put it, as Donald delivered his scolding address (in a nutshell: he's the only world leader who's doing anything right). After the divisive politician finished, it took the first lady a few seconds to begin clapping — and even then, her applause was more courteous than enthusiastic. So, what's really going on with Donald Trump's marriage? Only he and Melania truly know, but their behavior at the U.N. offered a clear picture. We're expecting to see more of the same as the president's second term drags on.