Is the rivalry between Melania and Ivanka Trump really even a thing? Or is there some truth behind their alleged dislike for one another? Body language experts have looked at some of their interactions, and what they found may surprise you.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00Is the rivalry between Melania and Ivanka Trump really even a thing, or is there some
00:05truth behind their alleged dislike for one another? Body language experts have looked
00:09at some of their interactions, and what they found may surprise you.
00:14In one of the first-ever photographs of Melania, Ivanka, and Donald Trump, there's certainly
00:19some interesting body language. In late 1999, the trio attended a New York fashion show
00:26At the event, Melania looked serious, while Donald and Ivanka were all smiles. At that
00:31point, Melania and her soon-to-be husband had been going out for less than two years.
00:36The list spoke exclusively with body language expert Nicole Moore about Melania's feelings
00:41towards Ivanka. Judging by their body language in a photo from the event, Moore explained,
00:46Melania does appear tense and somewhat distant from Donald in this picture. While Ivanka's
00:51body is softer and she is yielding to her father's embrace, as evidenced by the slight
00:56lean in her body toward him, Melania is stiff with her body upright. Moore added that the
01:02newness of Melania's relationship with Donald may have had something to do with why she
01:06seemed less relaxed than Ivanka.
01:09Donald and Melania attended the Met Gala in 2004 as a newly engaged couple. Ivanka was
01:15at the event, too, and she posed with her father and his new fiancé. Previously, the
01:20businesswoman had talked about Melania in an interview with New York Magazine and said
01:24overwhelmingly positive things.
01:26"'I love Melania so much.'"
01:29Melania seemed more laid-back at this event, even with Donald's attention still on Ivanka.
01:33But we have to wonder if Melania perceived her as a third wheel on their big night. Nicole
01:38Moore detailed Melania's feelings to the list, saying,
01:42"'Melania does appear to be genuinely happy in this picture, as her eyes are crinkling,
01:47a giveaway for true happiness.'"
01:49However, Moore also made note of Donald's body language, adding,
01:52"'What's interesting is that at this point, even on their engagement night, Donald's body
01:57language indicates he's emotionally closer to Ivanka than to Melania.'
02:02Fortunately, the future first lady didn't seem bothered by it. Either that, or she was
02:07too distracted by their engagement to give it too much thought.
02:10"'You know, everybody has different opinions.'"
02:15In 2006, Ivanka joined her father and Melania at the Olympus Fashion Week in Bryant Park.
02:21Melania and Donald married in January 2005, so they were still in their honeymoon period
02:25at the event. Moore told the list that in a picture from the event, it's clear Melania,
02:31Donald and Ivanka's overall dynamic had evolved. She said,
02:34"'Donald and Melania clearly stand together in unison as a pair in this picture, while
02:39Ivanka is behind them, standing as her own separate entity. Melania standing closer to
02:44Donald in this picture, indicating more connection with him. Melania presumably felt more confident
02:49about her place in Donald's world at this point, which in turn warmed her towards Ivanka.
02:55Even in her posture, Melania exuded confidence and security."
03:00At a 2007 UNICEF event, Melania and Ivanka were photographed sitting together without
03:05Donald present. Moore explained to the list why this was so significant, saying,
03:10In this picture, Melania and Ivanka's arms and shoulders are touching as they sit next
03:14to each other, indicating closeness, and their bodies appear relaxed, indicating comfort
03:19with each other. But Moore also noted that it's not all warm and fuzzy for Melania, adding,
03:24However, Ivanka is leaning her head toward Melania and pointing her face slightly toward
03:29her, while Melania's shoulder and head are actually tilted away from Ivanka.
03:34As Moore pointed out, while Ivanka's body language indicated she was on good terms with
03:38Melania, Melania clearly needed more time to connect with her husband's eldest daughter.
03:44On June 23rd, 2008, Donald, Melania, and Ivanka attended a party in New York to introduce
03:50the Trump International Hotel and Tower Dubai. Historically, Donald would stand between Ivanka
03:56and Melania at public engagements. However, at this event, Donald stood to the side while
04:01Ivanka and Melania talked together. Moore told the list how this marked a big moment
04:05in Melania's attitude towards Ivanka, saying,
04:08Melania's shoulders and jaw are relaxed, and her trademark stiff posture is gone here,
04:14indicating she's extremely relaxed in Ivanka's company. Ivanka is leaning her body in toward
04:19Melania, indicating closeness and a desire to share her thoughts with Melania.
04:24Moore also observed that their relationship is at one of its high points, with both women
04:28eager to connect. They both express comfortable body language and are very warm with each
04:33other. In fact, they're behaving like friends. At this point in their relationship, any rivalry
04:38seemed to evaporate, and Melania and Ivanka could enjoy each other's friendship.
04:43I think it's great.
04:45With the support of his family, Donald Trump announced his bid for the presidency in 2015,
04:50and immediately, he and his family hit the campaign trail. In a video from a campaign
04:55event in Iowa, we can see how Ivanka took the podium on her father's behalf while Melania
05:00to the side.
05:01Moore told The List how Donald's political career created a shift in Melania's feelings
05:06towards Ivanka. She explained that the video clip from Iowa indicated the beginning of
05:10an icy patch for Melania and Ivanka, saying,
05:14As Melania is between Donald and Ivanka, her arms are tense and tight by her waist, and
05:19when she turns her head in Ivanka's direction, her mouth is tight and she never looks directly
05:24in her eyes.
05:26Moore noted that it's almost as if Melania didn't want to acknowledge Ivanka, adding,
05:31When Melania has to move over to let Ivanka speak at the podium, her face becomes displeased
05:36with tight lips, and she sucks in air as Ivanka starts speaking, indicating she does not want
05:41to hear what Ivanka has to say.
05:44At the third presidential debate in 2016, Trump's family gathered around him in support.
05:49In a video clip of the family arriving at the debate, Melania walked ahead of Ivanka.
05:54However, it was clear that Ivanka was a key figure in her father's campaign.
05:58Moore spoke about the potential tension between Melania and Ivanka as the latter assumed a
06:03primary role in her father's bid for the presidency. She said,
06:07Melania's body language in this clip may be suddenly giving away her unhappiness at taking
06:12a back seat to Ivanka during the campaign trail. As Melania walks into the event to
06:17meet with Donald, she shows no signs of warmth toward him and keeps her body stiff.
06:22Moore also noted that Ivanka's body language could not be more different from her stepmother's.
06:27As she explained,
06:28Ivanka, in contrast, walks confidently into the event with long, steady strides, her shoulders
06:34pulled back, and her head upright.
06:36Moore observed that Ivanka looked happy being in the spotlight at the helm of Donald's campaign,
06:41whereas Melania didn't seem comfortable.
06:43It is not concern and focus of mine.
06:47In November 2016, Donald Trump was elected president. The Trump family waited all night
06:52to hear the news, and came together to celebrate in the wee hours of the morning. In a clip
06:57from the celebration, Melania looked disconnected from Ivanka, who stood right next to her.
07:02Moore told The List how Melania and Ivanka's body language indicated how they really felt
07:06about Donald's win, and how these feelings might have put them at odds with each other.
07:11She noted that Ivanka displayed genuine happiness that night, saying,
07:14"...she's walking very fast, almost bumping into Melania in front of her, who is walking
07:19more apprehensively onto the stage. Ivanka's body language here displays that she is so
07:24ready for her father to be president."
07:27Moore noted that Melania, on the other hand, was still very much processing this development.
07:32She said,
07:33"...she's smiling, but her body language is displaying that she's not quite fully in yet."
07:37For Melania, it would take some time before Donald's win, and Ivanka's subsequent involvement,
07:43would sink in.
07:45On the day of Donald's inauguration, Melania stood at his right-hand side while Ivanka
07:49stood on his left. The two women carried a nearly equal presence that day. In a video
07:54clip of the inauguration, the two women appear to be smiling and excited. Moore spoke about
07:59Melania's feelings towards Ivanka at this big event, and the feelings are positive.
08:04She told The List,
08:05"...in this clip at the inauguration, Melania appears to be much more relaxed in Ivanka's
08:10presence, and her smile is genuine. Even though Melania didn't make direct eye contact with
08:15Ivanka, she seemed perfectly at ease with her stepdaughter."
08:19Moore explained,
08:20"...Melania and Ivanka appear cordial in this clip, but not close, so it's possible that
08:25by the inauguration, any tensions between the two of them eased and they came to a point
08:29of acceptance and mutual support for the family and Donald's presidency."
08:35There was a lot of talk in the media about Melania's supposedly distant behavior in the
08:39White House. Meanwhile, Ivanka took on a position as senior advisor to her father. This led
08:46to whispers that Ivanka secretly wanted to take over Melania's first lady duties.
08:50"...There's one first lady, and Melania will be an unbelievable first lady."
08:56While this didn't exactly happen, the two women shared various roles in the White House,
09:01creating an interesting power dynamic between them. In 2017, they celebrated Women's Day
09:06at the White House, and in a clip, Melania entered the room last, assuming the role of
09:11leadership over Ivanka. The List spoke with body language expert Greg Hartley about Melania's
09:17interaction with Ivanka at the event. He explained,
09:20"...When Melania enters, Ivanka does a slight downright head nod. The nod is something most
09:25of us do when we see someone we know or are closely connected to. Melania warmly recognizes
09:31Ivanka here, Hartley observed."
09:33He added,
09:34"...Melania holds eye contact until she passes, and then does a reach to the chair of the
09:38lady next to Ivanka. That is usually recognition."
09:41Hartley assessed that Melania and Ivanka's body language was that of two people on a
09:46team together, united by a common mission. There was no evidence of tension between the
09:51two.
09:52In August 2020, Ivanka introduced her father before he gave his acceptance speech at the
09:57Republican National Convention. While Melania was present, she was not as involved in the
10:03In a clip from the RNC, Melania's facial expression read as uncomfortable while Ivanka's was elated.
10:10While the interaction looks awkward, Hartley observed warmth between Melania and Ivanka.
10:15He told The List,
10:16"...the smile Melania shows Ivanka is actually prolonged compared to the smile she tries
10:21to hold after. The smile Melania gave involved the lower lids rising and is more genuine
10:26compared to the smile for the audience."
10:29Hartley noted that before Ivanka arrived, Melania was gripping her forefinger and thumb
10:33as a way of releasing nervous energy. But he also noted that Melania's nervous energy
10:38wasn't brought on by Ivanka's presence. Rather, Ivanka might have been a comforting, familiar
10:43presence at the event.
10:45Following Donald's stint in the White House, the Trump family's dynamic shifted once again.
10:50Ivanka has largely separated herself from Donald and his future political aspirations.
10:56As such, she separated herself from Melania as well. However, they did come together for
11:01the funeral of Ivana Trump, Ivanka's mother, who died on July 14th, 2022.
11:06In a photo from the funeral, Melania stood with her son Barron and her husband alongside
11:11Ivanka and her children. Ivanka delivered her mother's eulogy. Hartley had a lot to
11:16say about Melania's interactions with Ivanka at the funeral, noting some general discomfort.
11:21He told The List,
11:22Funerals are awkward at best and put people into a model of unfamiliarity. He also noted
11:28some stress in Melania's body language, adding,
11:31"...something is causing her distress there, and it doesn't appear to be Ivanka."
11:35So Melania's discomfort was likely caused by something else entirely, and it could very
11:40well have been Donald's renewed political interests. Hartley did hypothesize that some
11:45of Melania's distress could be concern for Ivanka and Donald's other children, who just
11:50lost their mother.