Lip reader decodes Trump’s 7-word whisper to Melania during Pope Francis’ funeral
A lip reader has now claimed to reveal what Donald Trump’s pointed seven-word comment to Melania Trump was during the pope’s funeral.
The funeral proceedings for the late Pope began earlier today (April 26) in Vatican City — five days after his passing on April 21.
Tens of thousands of mourners filled St. Peter’s Square to pay tribute, as well as global figures and leaders such as President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and Prince William.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also attended and was welcomed with a round of applause from the gathered crowd.
During the solemn two-hour ceremony, the 78-year-old US president was seen whispering a seven-word message to his wife, Melania.
According to lip reader Nicola Hickling, speaking on behalf of Oddspedia to The Express, Trump leaned toward the First Lady and said: “I’ll go over and speak to him.”
Melania’s response? While Hickling claimed that Melania offered Trump a “side-eye”, videos emerging on social media shows the FLOTUS then smiling at her husband.
Hickling then told the Express that she believes Melania turned to the POTUS to say: “You should go do it.”
“Oh, alright,” was Trump’s alleged reply.
While Trump did not clarify who he intended to approach, speculation centered on President Zelenskyy, who was seated several places away.
Their history of tension dates back to an Oval Office confrontation earlier this year, where the US leader accused the Ukrainian president of “gambling with World War Three.”
However – despite tensions reaching boiling point between the two leaders over a potential peace deal between Ukraine and Russia – before the funeral began, Trump and Zelenskyy held a brief but highly significant 15-minute meeting.
Ukrainian presidential spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov confirmed the encounter, saying: “The leaders agreed to continue their discussions today. Teams are working on organising the continuation of the meeting,” per France24.
White House communications director Steven Cheung described the initial talk as “a very productive discussion”.
The Ukrainian presidency later released powerful images showing Trump and Zelenskyy sitting face-to-face, as well as speaking with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Behind the diplomatic courtesies, tensions between the two leaders remain. Their meeting comes after friction over Trump’s proposed peace plan for Ukraine, crafted with the input of Trump’s envoy, General Keith Kellogg.
The plan would see Ukraine cede Crimea and significant portions of Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhia to Russia, while maintaining access to the Dnipro River and placing the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant under U.S. administration.
Zelenskyy has flatly rejected the plan, describing it as a breach of Ukraine’s sovereignty. “There is nothing to talk about. This violates our Constitution,” he said, per Al Jazeera. “This is our territory – the territory of the people of Ukraine.”
He warned that negotiating on territorial concessions would only benefit Moscow: “As soon as talks about Crimea and our sovereign territories begin, the talks enter the format that Russia wants – prolonging the war – because it will not be possible to agree on everything quickly.”
Nevertheless, Trump continues to push for a resolution. Posting on Truth Social, he said, “They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off,'” per Sky News. “Most of the major points are agreed to. Stop the bloodshed, NOW.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for three hours, discussing the “possibility” of direct Ukraine-Russia negotiations. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov described the talks as “constructive and very useful,” per CNN.
Before heading to Rome, the Ukrainian president had expressed a willingness for dialogue but insisted that any negotiations must follow a full and unconditional ceasefire.
“We are ready for dialogue, I emphasize again, in any format with anyone,” Zeheenskyy said, “[But] only after a real signal that Russia is ready to end the war.”
However, Zelenskyy also acknowledged that Ukraine’s accession to NATO would not happen in the immediate future, calling for pragmatic security guarantees instead.
“For us, the backstop does not necessarily have to be boots on the ground in Ukraine,” he explained, suggesting it could involve cyber defense measures and additional Patriot air defense systems.