Slip of the finger or cry for help?
Back when Donald Trump was officially inaugurated as president of the United States (seems like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it?), you may remember a rather frosty exchange between himself and his wife that spread like wildfire on social media.
Footage of Melania Trump’s facial expression turning from one of sheer happiness to one of thunder (once her husband’s back was turned) in the space of about a second hinted that the role of First Lady was something she wasn’t exactly looking forward to with relish.
A GIF of the exchange was reposted on Twitter by left-wing blogger Andy Ostroy on Tuesday night and though it attracted plenty of interaction, Ostroy must have been surprised to see a favourite from the personal account of the First Lady herself.
Seems the only #Wall @realDonaldTrump's built is the one between him and @FLOTUS #Melania #trump pic.twitter.com/XiNd2jiLUF
— Andy Ostroy (@AndyOstroy) May 3, 2017
Melania Trump hasn’t been using her personal account since her husband’s election was confirmed last November, preferring to post from the @FLOTUS account instead.
The tweet from her personal account was retracted within 45 minutes, but this being the Internet, it didn’t stop people from jumping to conclusions.
I suspect this isn't a real account for @flotus… pic.twitter.com/ziWXhlHruV
— Andy Ostroy (@AndyOstroy) May 3, 2017
@AndyOstroy @FLOTUS it is! do you have any connection with her?
— Kate Knibbs ? (@KateKnibbs) May 3, 2017
@KateKnibbs @FLOTUS Hmmm…I guess I do now…
— Andy Ostroy (@AndyOstroy) May 3, 2017
Meanwhile on planet divorce @realDonaldTrump. US first lady @MELANIATRUMP just fav'ed this. She only has two likes on twitter. ? pic.twitter.com/CgCnKupiBF
— Anonymous (@YourAnonCentral) May 3, 2017
@AndyOstroy @FLOTUS It's a sign pic.twitter.com/SmLXhUSyPR
— Debbie (@debnsb) May 3, 2017
So, this is real. #freemelania pic.twitter.com/VwrSVCXaG9
— Ms Resist (@ms_resist) May 3, 2017
We’re reluctant to glean any deep meaning from someone liking a tweet on Twitter, especially considering that it was retracted in less than an hour.
Can you, for example, safely say that you’ve never interacted with something on social media completely by accident, as is what, in all likelihood, happened in this case?
@AndyOstroy @realDonaldTrump @FLOTUS .@MELANIATRUMP as soon as she sees what she's just liked. pic.twitter.com/8CFB5qUPwW
— David Barden (@davefbarden) May 3, 2017
That said, Melania’s social media activity has been the source of widespread coverage on the BBC, the Guardian and other renowned media outlets around the world since last night; the response of her husband, if and when it arrives, should be interesting…
