NEED TO KNOW
- President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump appeared to be deep in conversation when Marine One landed at the White House on Tuesday night
- The couple was filmed chatting as the president’s helicopter touched down after their trip to the United Nations in New York
- Melania was seen shaking her head and gesturing at the president, who then pointed his finger toward her
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump appeared to be having a serious conversation when Marine One landed in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night.
Sky News cameras captured the first couple seated across from one another on the president’s helicopter as they touched down on the White House South Lawn after their Sept. 23 visit to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
In the video, Melania, 55, can be seen shaking her head and gesturing with her hand toward Donald, 79, before he cuts her off with a pointed finger.
After finishing their conversation, the couple exited the helicopter and walked across the South Lawn hand-in-hand, as the president waved to reporters in passing.
The couple’s New York visit was not without its own tense moments.
Prior to Donald’s address at the U.N. headquarters, he and Melania stepped onto an escalator that quickly froze, forcing them to walk up the steps in a moment that conservative media outlets quickly branded as “sabotage,” with Fox News’ Jesse Watters even suggesting that the U.N. building be destroyed for making the president look bad.
A U.N. spokesperson addressed the escalator incident on Tuesday, explaining that a videographer from the American delegation accidentally triggered the escalator’s stop mechanism, which resulted in the issue.
Shortly after walking up the escalator, the president’s teleprompter seemingly malfunctioned while he was preparing to make an address to other world leaders, prompting him to stall for around 15 seconds after mocking the staffer in charge of managing the device.
“I can only say that whoever’s operating this teleprompter is in big trouble,” he told the room.
The president then shocked many with the content of his remarks that followed. He took his fellow world leaders to task on immigration, insisting it was “time to end the failed experiment of open borders.”
“I’m really good at this stuff,” Donald declared. “Your countries are going to hell.”
The president pressed European leaders in particular, claiming they were only allowing immigrants into their countries “to be nice.”
“You want to be politically correct, and you’re destroying your heritage,” he said. “If you don’t stop people that you’ve never seen before, that you have nothing in common with, your country is going to fail.”
Additionally, Donald spent a sizable chunk of his speech demeaning the U.N. itself, which is convening for its 80th session this year.
“What is the point of the United Nations? You do nothing to support the end of war, other than write a pathetic letter or two, which does nothing,” he said of the international organization. “Empty words don’t solve wars… A bad escalator and a bad teleprompter is all I got from the United Nations.”
Melania, meanwhile, used the U.N. visit to launch a project of her own during an event with other spouses of world leaders. Called “Fostering the Future Together,” her initiative is described as “a global coalition of nations committed to enhancing the well-being of children through the promotion of education, innovation, and technology.”
The coalition, made up of spouses of heads of government, is expected to hold its first meeting at the White House in early 2026.
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The Trumps’ helicopter conversation was filmed four months after Donald offered playful advice to French President Emmanuel Macron about avoiding private conversations in public view.
Emmanuel, 47, and his wife, Brigitte, 72, created their own viral moment on May 25 when the first lady appeared to push her husband in the face just before they exited their plane in Vietnam. Emmanuel looked surprised by the push, but then noticed that he was being watched and composed himself. The Macrons then walked down the plane’s steps together.
The French president later said they were “just joking about as we do,” but that didn’t stop reporters from asking Donald for his “world leader to world leader” advice during an Oval Office press conference days later.
“Make sure the door remains closed,” Donald joked, referencing how the couple’s private moment was captured on camera.
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