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Melania Trump has addressed the infamous moment she appeared to swat Donald Trump away when he tried to hold her hand in public.
During a visit to Tel Aviv in May 2017, the then-first lady was caught on camera batting her husband’s hand away while they walked along the red carpet.
The incident hit headlines and led to widespread speculation about the state of their marriage.
In her memoir, out on Tuesday, Melania seekss to dispel some of the rumors about her marriage to Trump and brushes off the incident as “a mere misunderstanding” thanks to the media and “gossipmongers.”
“As we walked down the red carpet, I gently waved away his attempt to hold my hand,” Melania recalls.
“The media labeled it as a ‘swat’ and used it as supposed evidence of martial discord. This false narrative had been perpetuated since the beginning of the campaign, and it was disheartening to see how eager people were to believe in it.”
Melania says the couple had been greeted at the airport by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who she refers to as Bibi in the book – and his wife Sara.
Instead of shunning her husband, Melania claims that there was simply not enough space for all four of them to walk in a row.
“Protocol demanded that the president and prime minister walk side by side, with their spouses trailing behind,” Melania explains.
“Yet, unforeseen circumstances led to a slight deviation from the norm. Bibi ended up holding his wife’s hand, and my husband walked beside them – three abreast. The red carpet simply could not accommodate all four of us abreast.”
Despite her claims about space, footage of the moment shows Melania did continue to walk alongside her husband after hitting his hand away.
She adds that she “opted” to walk behind, indicating she was “perfectly content” to walk the carpet by herself.
“When he reached out to offer his hand, I declined, indicating that I was perfectly content walking on my own. It was a minor innocent gesture, nothing more,” she writes.
With relations between the couple already under scrutiny from the incident in Tel Aviv, the following day Melania was filmed stepping off the plane in Italy where she, again, refused to take Trump’s hand when he reached out for hers.
A similar PR fail occurred in 2020 after the presidential debate when Melania and Jill Biden joined their husbands on the stage.
Viewers noticed how Melania appeared to “yank” her hand away from Trump while walking off the stage before he appeared to give her a small shove in the back.
The formal model’s memoir tries to portray her marriage to Trump in a more positive light. In one part, she recalls the moment the couple first met in New York City in 1998.
“From the moment Donald and I met, there was an undeniable spark,” she states. “There was something magnetic about him: his confidence, his charm, his humor, his vision.”
“Our wedding was a beautiful affair – a breathtaking gown, a perfectly created menu by a celebrated chef and captivating live performances by music legends,” she says.
