> At a Glance
> – Donald Trump says Melania hates his on-stage dancing and transgender-athlete impersonation
> – She calls the routine “terrible” and “unpresidential,” he told a Jan. 6 GOP crowd
> – Trump has repeated the bit at the University of Alabama and other 2024-25 events
> – Why it matters: The episode spotlights the couple’s very public disagreement over campaign-stage behavior as the 2024 race heats up
Donald Trump keeps busting out dance moves and weight-lifting impressions on stage, but Melania Trump is not amused. Speaking to Republicans at Washington’s Kennedy Center on Jan. 6, the president said his wife thinks the performances are “terrible” and beneath the office.
The Kennedy Center Confession
Mid-speech, Trump launched into his familiar pantomime of a transgender athlete lifting weights, then stopped to note Melania’s disapproval.
> “By the way, my wife hates when I do this,” Trump told the crowd, adding that she reminded him, “It’s so unpresidential.”
He claimed he shot back, “But I did become president,” before recounting her further plea: “Could you imagine FDR dancing?” Trump joked that Franklin D. Roosevelt “was an elegant fellow” who would never have struck the pose he then resumed for the audience.
A Repeat Routine
This wasn’t a one-off. Trump performed the same impersonation at the University of Alabama in May 2025, warning students he’d “be in trouble when I get home.” He also spent 39 minutes dancing onstage to songs including “Y.M.C.A.” at an October 2024 Pennsylvania town hall after halting Q&A.
Where the Bit Has Appeared
- Kennedy Center – Jan. 6, 2025
- University of Alabama commencement – May 2025
- Pennsylvania town hall – Oct. 2024 (39-minute dance session)
Key Takeaways
- Melania Trump considers her husband’s stage dancing and impersonations unpresidential
- Trump acknowledges the criticism but continues the routine, citing crowd cheers
- The couple’s exchange has become part of his standard stump-speech material
- Trump has integrated the dispute into at least three major appearances since late 2024
Despite Melania’s protests, the former-and possibly future-president shows no sign of shelving the moves that energize his supporters and frustrate his wife.
