Donald Trump and Melania Trump attended Pope Francis’ funeral in the Vatican on Saturday. The service drew dignitaries and world leaders from around the world to Rome for a final farewell, while more than an estimated 400,000 mourners lined the streets for the procession to his final resting place.
Though Donald made headlines for all the wrong reasons, Melania, it seemed, was sincere in her grief. Now, one body language expert has given her verdict on Donald and Melania’s behavior, and it was touching.
The relationship between Pope Francis, Donald Trump, and First Lady Melania Trump has had its ups and downs. Francis held his papacy for 12 years, during which time he met with three US presidents. His first encounter was with Barack Obama in 2014. Obama was in the midst of his second term as president when he and the pope held a meeting in Rome. Though they had differing views on many issues, their discussion was said to have been a success.
The then-president revealed that specific differences didn’t arise during his meeting with Francis. Rather, they spoke about human rights and religious freedom and, as Obama explained, “the responsibilities that we all share to care for the least of these—the poor, the excluded.”
“I was extremely moved by his insights about the importance of us all having a moral perspective on world problems and not simply thinking in terms of our own narrow self-interests,” Obama added.
Obama invited the Pope to visit him at the White House — and in 2015, he did. During the US visit, prior to which the pope had met with Fidel Castro in Cuba, Francis became the first pontiff ever to address a joint session of Congress. At the time, tens of thousands of people had gathered at the Capitol’s West Lawn to watch the speech on screens.
Pope Francis relationhip with Donald and Melania Trump
The same day, Pope Francis met with a person who was vice president at the time but would become President of the United States: prominent Catholic Joe Biden. Before his death, Francis was to meet one more president – Donald Trump – and his wife, Melania. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Trump was said to have a rather pessimistic view of Francis. Just days after the pope was elected in 2013, Trump questioned him and his actions.
“I don’t like seeing the Pope standing at the checkout counter (front desk) of a hotel in order to pay his bill,” Trump wrote on X, then Twitter, at the time, per CNN. “It’s not Pope-like!”
Meanwhile, in 2015, when Trump became the Republican presidential candidate frontrunner, he said Francis seemed “like a pretty good guy,” though he counterweighted that by claiming he was too political.
Just months later, Trump said that the pope didn’t understand the illegal immigration facing the US, to which Pope Francis responded that Trump wasn’t “a Christian” after he championed deporting immigrants and the building of his infamous wall along the Mexico border.
“A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian,” he told journalists. “This is not the gospel.”
Trump’s response? Labeling Francis’ opinion as “disgraceful.”
Melania Trump’s interactions with Donald at Pope Francis’ funeral
Donald and Melania Trump arrived in Rome on Friday for Pope Francis’ funeral. The funeral service was held in St. Peter’s Square, and besides the President and First Lady of the United States, many dignitaries and royals were in attendance.
Some of them included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prince William, Argentine President Javier Milei, French President Emmanuel Macron, King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia, and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, among others.
After the funeral service, an estimated 400,000 people took to the streets to bid farewell to Pope Francis as his coffin was transferred in procession to his final resting place. Pope Francis wrote in his will that he wanted to be laid to rest in the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, about three miles from the Vatican, as opposed within the Vatican.
Melania Trump wore an all-black outfit for the occasion. She was praised for wearing the Mantilla Veil to show her respect to the late pope – the First Lady was seen shutting her eyes several times in mourning.
Donald and Melania interacted several times during the funeral service. Judi James, a body language expert, has since analyzed their behavior toward one another.
“I think that [Trump] was very aware that it was also his wife’s birthday, and also he seemed very mindful of the fact that Melania did seem to be in a reasonable state of mourning,” James told The Sun, adding that they shared a rare affectionate moment before boarding Air Force One on Friday when Trump wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist.
Body language reveals Donald’s ‘touching’ moment with Melania at funeral
At Pope Francis’s funeral, Melania, who is originally from Slovenia, a predominantly Catholic country, appeared emotional. James said that made Donald Trump more affectionate towards his wife.
“When they stood in front of the coffin, we could see him place an arm round her to get her into position. He was much more tactile with her,” James continued explaining and said that the couple “caught on another’s eyes” when they sat down before the ceremony began.
“He spoke to her. He made a smile, he made a laugh. And although that might be normal for most couples, for those two, that is quite a rare event. So they were very warm together.”
In recent years, Donald and Melania Trump have certainly not been known for being overly affectionate towards one another. Following Election Night, when Donald Trump won the 2024 Presidential Election, one expert claimed that Melania showed no happiness towards her husband. Meanwhile, a recent bombshell book by author Michael Wolff claimed that their marriage is not in the best of states.
Donald and Melania rarely discuss their marriage and feelings for each other publicly. In his book, All or Nothing, Wolff claims that Melania has no feelings left for her husband. According to excerpts from the book, Wolff claims Melania has no interest in living near him day-to-day either.
“She f***ing hates him”, a “Mar-a-Lago patio confidant,” told Wolff.
Donald and Melania Trump’s ‘rocky’ marriage
In his book, Wolff continued to give more insights into Donald and Melania’s marriage. In one extract, Wolff described how Melania reportedly laughed at her husband’s presidential campaign’s effort “to get her to accompany her husband” on the trail. She wasn’t seen on the campaign trail once, except in the last months leading up to the election.
“Since the first indictment in New York, when Melania had simply laughed at the campaign’s effort to get her to accompany her husband (‘Nice try’), it had been clear that she wasn’t going to show up. During the past year, she had yet to make a single campaign appearance. In only one instance in 2023 did she even appear on the plane—and then only hitching a ride. Magically, the Melania issue had not, in the White House years nor the Mar-a-Lago years—with both staffers and press quite aware of the Trumps’ nontraditional living arrangements and their careful distance from each other— become an issue,” Wolff wrote.
“Melania continued to be an additional freak-out, absolutely refusing every entreaty to speak or even to appear side by side with her husband. He had never faced point-blank questions from the media about their relationship. But what if ‘Where’s Melania?’ started now in earnest?” he continued.
“But that was all before the shooting…now the attempt on Trump’s life not only made him again incontrovertibly the central figure of the moment, if not the age, giving him a maximum hero’s electoral mantle, but it also repositioned his convention as the joyous and abject coronation of which he dreamed.”
Melanai Trump praised for her outfit at Pope Francis’ funeral
For Pope Francis’ funeral, Melania Trump wore a fitting all-black outfit accompanied by a lace veil, also known as a Mantilla, as a mark of respect. The reason behind the Mantilla lies in the Catholic faith. According to the Catholic Company, it is “often worn by faithful women as a way of emulating Mary, who is the archetype of humility.” Moreover, the mantilla “signifies the role of women as a life-bearing vessel.”
Melania closed her eyes several times during Pope Francis’s service as she paid her respects. Online, several people noticed her wearing the veil and praised her for it.
“Ultimate class and reverence, Melania Trump wearing a Mantilla Veil,” one user wrote on X, per Express, while a second added: “Melania was perfect this time by wearing black and a mantilla.”
A third stated: “First Lady Melania Trump honored Pope Francis with a stunning black lace veil and elegant attire at his funeral, reflecting her deep appreciation for the moment. Her attire not only paid homage to her own Catholic faith but also echoed the iconic style of Jacqueline Kennedy, making it a significant fashion statement.”
