The US first lady appears to brush off her husband’s attempt to hold her hand as they arrive in Israel

Donald Trump’s first official overseas trip as US president has produced yet another viral moment for the internet to obsess over.

As Trump and his wife, Melania, disembarked from Air Force One at Tel Aviv on Monday to begin their visit to Israel, the first lady appeared to brush away her husband’s attempt to hold her hand. The action, caught in a video clip by Israeli news publisher Haaretz, has been widely shared on social media.

It is not the first time that photographs and video clips of Melania Trump’s reactions to her husband have come under close social media scrutiny. At Trump’s inauguration, a gif of the first lady’s facial expression after he turned towards her went viral.

Ashley Feinberg (@ashleyfeinberg) I can’t stop staring at the gif https://t.co/LqHMmFOVyp pic.twitter.com/CSGxT2eRS4

The image was given added potency when it was reported that her own Twitter account had briefly “liked” a tweet featuring the gif. Melania Trump has remained in New York, rather than moving to live in the White House, adding to internet speculation about the state of their relationship.

Her body language has on occasion had a positive effect on the president in public, notably when he appeared to need to be nudged by his Slovenian-born wife to remind him to put his hand on his heart during a rendition of the US national anthem.

ITV News (@itvnews) Melania Trump appears to nudge the President to remind him to put his hand on his heart for the US national anthemhttps://t.co/mBOxSE2c6p pic.twitter.com/z66qTp8kur

She definitely had hold of Trump’s hand later after their arrival at Ben Gurion airport on the first ever direct flight from Riyadh to Tel Aviv. In a picture posted on Twitter by the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, the leaders and their wives appeared at ease together.

Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) Ever Stronger

חזקים תמיד

🇮🇱🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Ecf5p4HjfZ

The pose echoed a bizarre viral photo that emerged from Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, where while opening an anti-extremism centre, the US president, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi of Egypt were photographed touching a glowing orb.

Man vs Pink (@ManVsPink) Israel's orb... IS INVISIBLE 😱 pic.twitter.com/OpqIfFocNC

Since he took office, when it comes to hand-holding the US president in public, it appears that the British prime minister, Theresa May, has had the firmest grip.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Donald Trump and Theresa May hold hands at the White House Photograph: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP