President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were caught in a candid and seemingly tense exchange aboard Marine One as they returned to the White House following the president’s controversial address at the United Nations General Assembly.
Footage shows Trump, 79, gesturing emphatically with his finger while Melania, 55, shakes her head in response. At another point, the first lady leans forward, her expression serious, as she focuses intently on her husband.
The couple later disembarked from the helicopter on the South Lawn in Washington, DC, walking hand-in-hand. Trump glanced at the ground before offering a brief wave to reporters.
#BREAKING: What Donald Trump and Melania’s finger waving exchange was really about, according to lip readerhttps://t.co/Oqo61jdgUq #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/tpTb2Y6SVk
— Video Forensics (@Video_Forensics) September 26, 2025
The incident comes after the president described his and Melania’s New York experience as a “triple sabotage,” triggered by technical mishaps during their UN visit.
“A REAL DISGRACE took place at the United Nations yesterday, Not one, not two, but three very sinister events!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to a malfunctioning teleprompter and a stalled escalator.
He added, “It is amazing that Melania and I didn’t fall forward onto the sharp edges of these steel steps, face first,” and called for UN staff involved to be either fired or “arrested,” citing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s claims that the escalator had been deliberately turned off.
When President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrived at the United Nations, the escalator that led them up to the General Assembly stopped, jolting her and the president, who was behind her, to a halt before they steadied themselves and continued climbing up the metal steps… pic.twitter.com/YgLEqTlxXV
— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) September 23, 2025
Trump also expressed frustration over sound being muted during speeches at the United Nations, a procedure that a UN official said has existed for “decades” to facilitate translation and transmission to guests’ earpieces.
The video of the Trump couple’s post-UN interaction comes months after a viral clip showed French President Emmanuel Macron being playfully pushed by his wife, Brigitte. At the time, Trump offered his counterpart some advice: “Make sure the door remains closed. That was not good.”
He later said he had spoken with Macron and confirmed the couple were “fine” and “really good people,” while Macron told reporters that the incident was merely playful, with an Elysée Palace source adding that the couple were “decompressing” and “larking about.”
During their own UN visit, the Trumps faced another awkward moment when an escalator froze as they attempted to step on, forcing them to walk up manually. Conservative media outlets quickly labeled the incident “sabotage,” with some even suggesting punitive measures against the UN.
A UN spokesperson later clarified that the escalator was accidentally stopped by a videographer from the American delegation.
Social media users also picked up on subtle tensions during the UN session. One X user noted, “Caught Trump arguing with her (he points accusingly while she shakes her head), after they noticed Melania only gave two claps during his UN speech. According to her, she couldn’t hear him well.”
Captan a los Trump discutiendo (Trump la acusa con el dedo y ella niega con la cabeza), después de que pillaran a Melania sin aplaudir el discurso de su marido en la ONU (sólo dio 2 palmadas cuando una cámara la apuntó). Según la primera dama, no se le escuchaba bien… pic.twitter.com/QWPQ1Mp630
— Patrycia Centeno (@PoliticayModa) September 26, 2025
