Trump Accused of ‘Inappropriately’ Touching Melania’s Bottom at Public Event — Fans Rush to His Defense

President Donald Trump was recently caught on camera awkwardly touching his wife, Melania Trump‘s back. The moment that has now sparked discourse online is from Tuesday, when the first couple greeted King Charles and Queen Camilla at the White House. The royal couple touched down in Washington, D.C. on April 27, 2026, for their four-day state visit. The second day was designed to emphasize a bond between the United States and the United Kingdom.

A clip from a livestream has been doing the rounds on the internet, which shows Donald Trump shaking King Charles’ hand, then awkwardly placing his hand on the first lady’s back. Shortly after, he slides his hand down and briefly touches his wife’s bottom. He seemed to have realized the awkward moment as he quickly removed his hand away and shook hands with Queen Camilla as she approached him.

Quite expectedly, internet users couldn’t stop reacting to the gesture as one user shared the clip along with a caption that read, “Trump nearly goes for a cheeky grab of Melania, then catches himself and pulls back. Who says romance is dead?”

Another user weighed in, “It’s got nothing to do with liberals, it’s to do with etiquette, something Americans, especially Trump clearly know absolutely nothing about.”

Another user remarked, “For ppl saying he was guiding his hand down her back, and this was a brief shot (lol), no, clearly touching her b**—Bu–oon at a dignitary ceremony. Diplomacy + decorum, leader in foreign relations + We know him. Criminal p–v + knows she must accept it here. +he wanted to mk a pt.”

Meanwhile, some users also defended Trump’s gesture, stating that he was merely placing his hand on Melania’s back. One user suggested, “He adores her, and I think their secretly wonderful relationship is sexy as hell. Everyone should just get OVER it and be jealous OFFLINE: )”

Another user wrote, “He put his hand there in a gentleman escorting way. He was NOT trying to touch her b***. C’mon, Trump is old school in his masculine protective manner and I love it!”

A third user stated, “I watched this live. He did nothing but put his hand on her back to gesture her forward. The photo appears to be from a paused clip at the right (or wrong) moment as he moved his arm to/from her back. He wasn’t putting his hand on her b***. If he did for a brief sec, it was unintentional, but people want to take his every move as something inappropriate.”

The president briefly spoke during the ceremony, emphasizing his mother’s Scottish roots and the centuries-long relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. According to the Mirror US, later the First Couple welcomed King Charles and Queen Camilla at the South Portico for the grand state dinner. Before that, both couples posed for the media, and Trump pointed towards the monarch admitting, “He made a great speech. I was very jealous.”