The wait is finally over, the wave has crashed over us all: Donald Trump will be the 47th President of the United States.
Having comfortably won what many had predicted to be a nail-bitingly close election, the petty, provocative, and perfectly polarizing Trump will return to the White House for another four-year stint, that despite all that has taken place since his last term.
Just who he chooses to surround himself for his upcoming tenure remains to be seen, but reports insist there’s a chance that one person who was a major fixture the last time he held top job, his wife Melania, isn’t perhaps all in.
Melania was an ever-present figure at Trump’s side during both the 2016 election (where the Don emerged victorious against all odds) and the 2020 election (where he tried to lie and cheat and steal his way to victory after losing). However she was noticeably absent this time around, having seemingly taken a step back to spend more time with their son, Barron.
Melania Trump missing
And who could blame her? Putting the obvious risk of assassination attempts aside, Trump has been wading through exceptionally murky waters these past few years. A felony conviction is the very least of it, and one can only imagine the embarrassment Melania has had to live with as the hush money trial over her husband’s affair with adult actress Stormy Daniels played out in full view of the world’s media.
All that said, Melania remains Trump’s wife, embattled or no, and she made an appearance at the Trump campaign’s HQ in West Palm Beach, Florida as he took the stage to announce victory after the Republican’s had claimed Pennsylvania on Wednesday morning.
A triumphant Trump told the crowd: “Every single day I will be fighting for you, with every single breath in my body. I will not rest until we have delivered the strong, safe and prosperous America that children deserve.
“And that you deserve. This will truly be the golden age for America. They were tough races… the number of victories in the Senate was absolutely incredible.”
Both Melania and Barron were on hand to complete the picture of a happy family, whilst Trump’s daughter Ivanka, from his earlier marriage, was also present on stage.
The occasion gave viewers an opportunity to see Melania and Barron, both of whom largely kept to the shadows as Donald ran his race in a bid to become only the second president in US history to be elected for two nonconsecutive terms.
Much has been made about the state of Donald and Melania’s marriage in light of the cavalcade of troubles the 78-year-old has faced of late, but for her husband’s victory speech, there was no sign of doubt on show.
Melania’s body language
Speaking to Paddy Power Games, body language expert Judi James described Melania as appearing ‘powerful’ and ‘confident’.
“During [Trump’s] arrival on stage, he stepped out to pose, looking momentarily overwhelmed. While his right hand punched the air gently his face seemed puckered in a moment of inner emotion,” James explained.
“It was Melania, in a businesslike grey power suit and the towering Barron who flanked Trump exhibiting the body language signals of strength and support.”
She later added: “While Trump opted to not bare his teeth in a smile, Melania was beaming with rounded cheeks of pride and delight and baring both upper and lower teeth in her smiles.”
According to James, the biggest sign of Melania’s ‘power and confidence’ came when she placed her arm on her husband’s back.
“A revealing signal of Melania’s power and confidence came as she stretched an arm out to place her hand on Trump’s back to steer (or gently push) him back to the lectern,” James said.
“A final signal of Trump’s new power dynamic with Melania came when another guy took to the mic and Trump edged across to his wife to push his fingers into her hand like a small child seeking reassurance from its mother.”
What do you make of the fact that Trump will be president again? Let us know thoughts in the comments.