Melania Trump and Michelle Obama’s excruciating gift moment is blowing up the internet

THE INTERNET is having a field day with this spectacularly awkward gift-giving by Melania Trump to Michelle Obama.

Let us analyse the most interesting moment from inauguration day. Picture: Getty

YOU KNOW how cringey it is when someone brings you a gift, and you haven’t bought them anything?

You can handle this a number of ways. You can go bright red and lie and say “your gift hasn’t arrived in the post yet but it’s on its way ... your dress is lovely, let’s have a slice of cake!” Or you can shuffle the parcel to your husband and vow to squeal “wasn’t that awkward!” later on when you’re taking your makeup off.

Michelle Obama decided to go with the latter method today when Donald Trump and his wife Melania turned up to the White House with a Tiffany box for the outgoing first lady.

Michelle Obama’s expression says it all. It almost looks as if she’s already trying to work out who to re-gift it to.

The internet is having a field day with the footage of the exchange between Melania and Michelle (which you can view above). It’s almost as painful as the time they had to have a cup of tea after Melania plagiarised Michelle’s speech.

“You can transfer the copyright fee straight to my bank account.” Picture: Getty

As Bustle said, “the whole [gift] interaction feels kind of like an Abbott and Costello routine.”

Charlie Beckerman did an excellent breakdown of this scene:

To do a close read, Michelle’s face is a chorus of conflicting emotions. The arched left eyebrow that is pure, unadulterated WTF, the narrowed eyes that are struggling to make sense of the whole thing (by which I’m going to go ahead and say means everything that’s happened since the Republican Convention), the subtle smile that is 100 per cent “what is this? I can’t even,” and, capping it all off, the direct, can-I-get-a-witness direct eye contact with the camera. “Is somebody else seeing this?” her eyes seem to say. “Please, tell me I’m not the only one seeing this.”

People on Twitter were quick to chime in:

When Michelle Obama got her gift from Melania LMAOOO pic.twitter.com/wLRp4OhfLr

— Jen ❁ (@LemonKiwi_) January 20, 2017

Melania brought Michelle a Tiffany's box, and no one knew what to do with it. #Inauguration pic.twitter.com/CaC86LsgH4

— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) January 20, 2017

A few pressing questions remain.

1) Why didn’t those guys in the hats do anything to prevent this painful moment?

Stop saluting and throw yourself on this hideous situation, boys. Picture: Getty

2) What is in the box? The internet is DYING to know. A pewter frame with an eviction notice in it?

We are all Brad Pitt’s character in Se7en:

I WANNA KNOW WHAT'S IN THE BOX?!?! #Inauguration @TiffanyAndCo pic.twitter.com/81MiVsqd3o

— Wendy (@IamWendums) January 20, 2017

There are plenty of sound theories doing the rounds on Twitter:

Inside the blue Tiffany's box Melania handed Michelle is just a desperately scrawled note that says "Take me with you."

— Amy Dillon (@amydillon) January 20, 2017

Word is that inside Melania's Tiffany's box is Trump's long-anticipated tax returns as a gift to the American public #Inauguration2017

— V. Wisniewski Otero (@victoria_rights) January 20, 2017

Cheeto dust and a Nerf gun https://t.co/8V8Jt6DtpF

— Charlotte Wilder (@TheWilderThings) January 20, 2017

Apprentice Season 1 DVD box set https://t.co/P3hV0PhFQM

— Clemzingis (@TheClemReport) January 20, 2017

A few people have noted that Tiffany & Co have a flagship store next to the Trump Tower in Manhatten, so they literally picked up the gift from the Trumps’ corner store.

Presumably Melania and Donald dropped into the White House pre-inauguration ceremony so that Michelle could hand over the keys and take them through the house’s little quirks (ie the dicky key that you have to jiggle for the back flywire screen and the best cycle to use on the dishwasher).

Well, Michelle shouldn’t feel bad about this whole gift fiasco. In a way, she’s giving the Trumps the gift of the White House, which is a very nice pile of bricks indeed.

So that probably Trumps a Tiffany box any day.

Obama out: The Trumps arrive at the White House

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