She's been dubbed "Sad Melania" and netizens are urging her to run away from Trump

The Internet has now called the First Lady of the United States "Sad Melania".

And it stemmed from various video grabs circulating online which show instances during US President Donald Trump's inauguration where his wife Melania appeared distant and unhappy.

One video released on Monday (Jan 23) showed the former model flashing a big smile as she and guests applaud the newly installed 45th US president after he had given his maiden speech.

Turning around to look at his wife, Trump acknowledged her before facing the front again. But as he turned his back on her, the First Lady dropped her smile faster than a pile driver, wearing a frown as she gazed at the floor.
 

Critics have suggested that Trump could have said or done something to upset her, according to several websites including U.S. Uncut and and Snopes, but who really knows?

Trump detractors and Melania supporters were quick to speculate on an icy relationship between the two and to express concern for her. Some have even suggested that she run away from her husband.

Twitter user 'sensitive snowflake' posted: "This makes me really sad. I genuinely feel bad for her. He doesn't appreciate her and she doesn't seem happy at all."

"It really feels like he is holding her hostage," another Twitter user wrote.

"She's probably thrilled he's going to be in DC 98 per cent of the time! I would lol" said another netizen.

[embed]https://twitter.com/hydroponicjuan/status/823302607045132288[/embed]

The video has been shared more than 210,000 times, with the message: "Omg what did he say to her???? RUN MELANIA!!!!":

As it went viral, #FreeMelania and #SaveMelania hashtags popped up on social media, fuelling more speculation on the state of her welfare.

Watching from the camera angle, there is no way to tell what Trump had said to his wife or said anything at all to her. So far, Melania has not offered an explanation as to why she acted the way she did.

According to New York Daily News, the video was uploaded a day after the presidential couple's 12-year wedding anniversary, which falls on Jan 22.

Netizens also scrutinized the video of Trump and his wife close dancing at the inauguration ball, calling their relationship "unbalanced" purely from how the President was "pulling her in sexually" while Melania was actually pulling herself away from him slightly as they moved, reported The Independent.

Other media sites compared Trump and his wife's behaviour with that of the Obamas, which suggested a more respectful relationship.

[embed]https://twitter.com/SummerNazif/status/822799506941050880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw[/embed]

Communication and body language expert Susan Constantine told Mic: "If you didn't know that they were married, you wouldn't know that they are married."

[embed]https://twitter.com/EmmaKennedy/status/822897457822597122[/embed]

To twice-divorced Trump, Melania, who is known to be shy and a homebody, apparently makes a terrific wife. He told Larry King in 2005. "I don't want to go home and work at a relationship."

Trump had often said Melania would make a stellar First Lady although the former Slovenian model had offered few hints about what a move to the White House would really mean for her, said GQ magazine last year.

chenj@sph.com.sg

Read also: Melania and son may stay in New York for now

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