Social Media Spots Another Awkward Moment Between Donald and Melania Trump During the Debate

If there is one thing that is guaranteed when President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are spotted together in public, it is that there will be an awkward hand-holding moment. Tuesday night's first presidential debate was no different. As the two candidates were joined on stage by their wives, viewers tuning into the 90-minute commercial-free event, the first of three such debates scheduled to take place ahead to the 2020 election, they couldn't help but notice an odd moment.

As the camera panned away from Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, eyes were glued to Trump and the first lady. In sharp contrast to the hug shared between his competitor and his wife, Trump and Melania stood stoically. At one point, however, after rubbing her arm in greeting, the president could be seen jerking his right hand, which was holding his wife's.

Love will always win.pic.twitter.com/XFDv5WRwZQ

— Ben Meiselas (@meiselasb) September 30, 2020

The moment marked just the latest in a series of notable hand-holding gaffes that have marked Trump's presidency. In May of 2017, as the president made his first international trip since taking office, the first lady appeared to swat her husband's hand away when they arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel. More recently, in August of this year, Melania appeared to pull her hand away as Trump reached out for it as they stepped off Air Force One.

Just as with those prior moments, Tuesday night's moment didn't go unnoticed, and it quickly became a talking point on social media. Across Twitter, debate viewers reacted to the hand-hold, many attempting to figure out what exactly occurred.