Melania Trump shared a lighthearted moment with her husband, President Donald Trump, as the two spent Saturday, her 55th birthday, at Pope Francis’ funeral.
At one point during the ceremony, Trump whispered a few words in his wife’s ear, eliciting a rare smile from the otherwise impassive first lady.
The couple was seated in the front row for the service in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Melania wore a fittingly somber all-black outfit—a blazer dress, gloves, and a lace veil. The president’s blue suit, meanwhile, sparked criticism that he was breaking the funeral’s dress code.
Other than the moment of levity with her husband, the first lady’s birthday was a somber affair as she mourned the death of Pope Francis, 88, who had been an outspoken critic of her husband’s mass deportation efforts.
The two men’s disagreement seemed to earn a call-out during Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re’s homily during the mass.
“Pope Francis incessantly raised his voice, imploring peace and calling for reason and honest negotiation to find possible solutions,” the cardinal said. “‘Build bridges, not walls,’ was an exhortation he repeated many times.”
Melania at one point helped her husband avoid snubbing French President Emmanuel Macron during the service, according to The Daily Mail.
Trump initially neglected to participate in the Sign of the Peace—that is, until Melania whispered something in his ear.
A forensic lip reader, Nicola Hickling, told the Mail that she twice said, “You should do it.”
“Oh, alright,” Trump replied, before extending his hand to Macron.
The two had shared another tender moment on Friday as they strolled across the White House lawn to board Air Force One and jet off to Italy. The president slung his arm around his wife’s waist—a rare physical showing of affection for the couple.
As Trump spoke to reporters en route to the Vatican on Friday, he suggested that he and his wife had resolved to hold an understated private celebration of her birthday.
“I’ll take her for dinner on the—on the Boeing,” the president said. “I’ll take her for dinner on Air Force One.”
“I haven’t had much time to buy presents,” he added. “I’ve been pretty busy. But it’s working out. Things are working out very well, and people are starting to understand how good tariffs are for us.”
The post Melania Trump Shares Light Moment With Husband on B-Day Mourning Pope Francis appeared first on The Daily Beast.
