This is the cringe moment Donald and Melania Trump baffled crowds with an awkward “kiss” at the inauguration ceremony – with social media users believing it was deliberate.
The president-elect leaned in to kiss his wife but appeared to be blocked by the brim of her hat. He greeted President Joe Biden after entering the Capitol Rotunda to roaring applause and cheers.
However, it led to social media users mocking the attempted kiss and coming up with their own conspiracy theories for Melania wearing her huge hat. “I would wear that hat too if it meant Donald Trump couldn’t kiss me”, one person remarked. Another said: “Melania Trump just stood there as Donald gave her the most awkward fake kiss of all time—air never felt so loved.”
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A third added: “Was wondering why Melania is wearing what looks like a funeral outfit with a wide brimmed hat half covering her eyes, then Donald Trump leaned in to kiss her and had to air kiss because the brim got in the way…”
Trump began the day alongside much of his incoming Cabinet with a prayer service at St. John’s Episcopal Church. He and his wife, Melania, were later greeted at the North Portico of the executive mansion by outgoing President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden for the customary tea and coffee reception. It was a stark departure from four years ago, when Trump refused to acknowledge Biden’s victory or attend his inauguration.
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“Welcome home,” Biden said to Trump after the president-elect stepped out of the car. The two presidents, who have spent years bitterly criticising each other, shared a limo on the way to the Capitol.
When Trump takes the oath of office at noon, he will realize a political comeback without precedent in American history. Four years ago, he was voted out of the White House during an economic collapse caused by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Trump denied his defeat and tried to cling to power. He directed his supporters to march on the Capitol while lawmakers were certifying the election results, sparking a riot that interrupted the country’s tradition of the peaceful transfer of power.
But Trump never lost his grip on the Republican Party and was undeterred by criminal cases and two assassination attempts as he steamrolled rivals and harnessed voters’ exasperation with inflation and illegal immigration.
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