Donald Trump makes hand contact with Melania while departing for Europe

The Presidential couple was photographed holding hands on European trip

Speculation over the state of the relationship between President Donald Trump and his First Lady Melania Trump has been rife since observers noted that on the Presidential couple's trip to Israel in May the First Lady pushed the President's hand away when he tried to hold her hand.

February 2018, saw Trump try and fail to make hand-to-hand contact with his wife as they left the White House for an official visit to Ohio.

In April 2018, during the French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, first state visit to the White House, Melania once again evaded the President's attempts to hold her hand.

On Tuesday the 10th of July 2018 the President finally succeeded as the first couple crossed the South Lawn of the White House to board Marine One.

"It looks more as if Don the Con is grabbing onto Melania's hand, to keep her from pulling it away, rather than just gently holding it! "

Greg Ingram@GregIng88592384

In the photos, President Trump seems to be gripping his wife's hand tightly - grasping her whole hand firmly with no sign of affectionately interlocking fingers.

The First Couple is off on a trip to Europe, where they will visit the United Kingdom, attended the NATO summit in Brussels, and meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki.

Read more about First Lady Melania Trump on our Twitter account @amomama_usa.

The first couple did hold hands during a Fourth of July picnic for military families at the White House last week, but even then, some Twitter observers believed it was just for show.

The First Lady seemed ill at ease, some Twitter users commented, and it appeared as if it was a 'pathetic attempt' at salvaging the Presiden's shaky status as a devoted husband.

The status of the relationship between the President and Melania has been a mystery ever since the scandal linking Donald Trump to porn star Stormy Daniels erupted.

Daniels alleges that she and Trump had sex in a hotel room in 2006, something the President denies.

If what Daniels claim is true, this would all have happened just four months after Melania had given birth to Barron.

The First Lady has kept silent with regards to the controversy, but her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham announced that “She’s focused on being a mom."