THEY say a picture is worth a thousand words.
So I dread to think what unspoken words this image of Melania Trump says abut her relationship with hubby Donald, the shiny new President of the United States.
The photograph of a sorrowful looking First Lady at a recent luncheon went viral this week, prompting an outpouring of sympathy across social media for ‘poor Melania’.
Then there was the image of The Donald looking over his shoulder at Melania during the inauguration, whose fake smile fades as soon as her husband turns back to face the crowd.
Not forgetting the image of Melania left to open her own car door outside the White House and carry the gift for the Obamas as Trump strides on ahead without so much as a backward glance.
And then there’s the snap of the Obamas greeting Melania and warmly guiding her into the White House as Trump marches in.
I could go on but these photos are just a few of many doing the rounds that feed into the narrative that Trump is a male chauvinist pig and that wife Melania in some way deserves our sympathy.
Now, I’m not for a second denying that Trump is a male chauvinist pig, but should we really feel sorry for the First Lady?
It’s clear that there is awkwardness and perhaps even some animosity between the couple, but Melania is no fool.
She knew full well the sort of man she was marrying 12 years ago.
In fact, the educated, multi-lingual Mrs Trump (she reportedly speaks six languages) has been a very vocal defender of her husband and his behaviour in the past.
On the subject of his alleged sexual assaults and his “grab them by the p***y” remarks, she told CNN last October: “I believe my husband — it was all organised from the opposition.
“They can never check the background of these women. They don’t have any facts.”
How Melania could plausibly defend Trump when the leaked Access Hollywood recording reveals him boasting about his behaviour is beyond me.
And then to blindly accuse the media of conspiring against Trump probably wasn’t her finest moment.
My point is Melania backs her repugnant husband, whatever her private facial expressions might convey, and is always on message.
Meanwhile, body language experts have been having a field day with the pictures of the Trumps, comparing their obvious discomfort and awkwardness with the love and tenderness evident between Barack and Michelle Obama.
Communications guru Susan Constantine told US news site MIC: “If you didn’t know that they were married, you wouldn’t know that they are married.
“Melania is an object to (Trump). I don’t see any warmth or true love and compassion in that relationship whatsoever.”
However, Constantine reveals that when the Obamas meet, “they meet through their eyes”.
She added: “Their bodies are parallel. There’s a lot of genuine warmth and love between the two.”
Yes, the evidence is continuing to mount — Donald Trump is a jerk.
But let’s not lose all our reason here and think Melania is a downtrodden woman.
It may be a marriage for the sake of appearances but Mrs Trump knew what she was signing up for when she agreed to be his wife.
So no, we should not feel sorry for a woman like Melania.
Instead we should be thanking her for taking a hit for the team by marrying him and, in the process, potentially saving all of us from being “grabbed by the p***y”.
And with that, from all us nasty women across the globe, thanks Melania. He’s all yours . . .
Read more: https://www.thesun.ie/news/496123/melania-trump-has-don-us-a-huge-favour-with-her-sorrowful-snaps/