First Lady Melania Trump has sparked confusion online after viewers noticed some odd behavior from her during President Donald Trump’s address to Congress.
Melania, 54, was seated in the audience as Trump delivered his 90-minute speech on Tuesday, March 4, outlining his accomplishments in office and his vision for the future.
During his address, Trump touched on his main policy goals, trade tariffs, and the ongoing situation in Ukraine. He also announced the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), giving a special mention to Elon Musk.
At one point, Trump shifted focus to border security, telling Congress: “Within hours of taking the oath of office, I declared a national emergency on our southern border. And I deployed the US military and Border Patrol to repel the invasion of our country. And what a job they’ve done. As a result, illegal border crossings last month were by far the lowest ever recorded ever.
“They heard my words and they chose not to come. Much easier that way. In comparison, under Joe Biden, the worst president in American history, there were hundreds of thousands of illegal crossings a month and virtually all of them, including murderers, drug dealers, gang members, and people from mental institutions and insane asylums, were released into our country.
“Who would want to do that?”
At that moment, the Republican party burst into cheers, rising to their feet to applaud Trump.
However, Melania remained seated, which left many users on X puzzled.
One person wrote, “Irritating to see Melania Trump not stand up and clapping when everyone sitting around her is. That’s your f**king husband. Show support.”
Another questioned, “Why doesn’t Melania stand up for her man?”
A third asked, “Isn’t Melania suppose to stand up?” while a fourth wondered, “Wonder why Melania isn’t standing to clap with everyone else?”
Trump did take a moment in his speech to acknowledge Melania, later addressing Congress with praise:
“I also want to recognise another person who has devoted herself to foster care, community, she works so hard on it. Very loving person, our magnificent first lady of the United States.
“Melania’s work has yielded incredible results, helping prepare our nation’s future leaders as they enter the work force. Our first lady is joined by two impressive young women, very impressive, Haley Ferguson, who benefited from the first lady’s Fostering the Future initiative, and is poised to complete her education and become a teacher.
“And Elliston Berry, who became victim of an illicit deepfake image produced by a peer. With Elliston’s help, the Senate just passed the Take It Down Act.”
As the audience rose in applause, Melania was seen standing as well, smiling at her husband.
This isn’t the first occasion where Melania has chosen not to stand and applaud during one of Trump’s speeches.
During his first presidency, at his inaugural State of the Union address, Trump was speaking about the core values of American democracy when Melania remained seated.
“In America we know that faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, are the centre of American life,” he stated. “The motto is: In God we trust.”