Over the recent weekend, social media was abuzz with a video clip that appeared to show President Donald Trump ignoring an attempted handshake from Cheryl Hines, the wife of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., during UFC 314 in Miami. The video, which quickly went viral, showed Trump greeting Kennedy with a handshake and then seemingly walking past Hines without acknowledging her extended hand. As a result, the clip sparked widespread speculation and commentary.
However, as is often the case with viral moments, the full context of the event tells a different story. Eyewitness accounts and further footage from the event revealed that the so-called "snub" was not as it seemed. Brian Krassenstein, a social media user, was quick to comment on the incident, suggesting that if he were Kennedy, he would resign because of the perceived disrespect. However, a former senior advisor to RFK Jr., Link Lauren, countered this narrative, tweeting a photo showing Trump conversing with both Kennedy and Hines, captioned "This is clickbait. He went back to her."
Ann Gurrola, Hines' publicist, told Fox News that she had not attended the event herself but had received reports indicating that Trump did eventually circle back to shake Hines' hand. This, according to Gurrola, pointed towards the interaction being "simply an oversight." An administration official also confirmed to Fox that President Trump did not intentionally ignore Hines. Additional photos obtained by the news outlet showed Trump speaking with Hines and others before the fight began, further challenging the initial interpretation of the event.
Social media users have since shared other images and video clips showing Trump engaged in friendly conversation with both Kennedy and Hines, supporting the claims that he returned to speak with the couple after initially greeting other attendees. Paul Villarreal, also known as Vince Manfeld, posted a video on Twitter with the caption, "President Trump spoke with Cheryl Hines last night at UFC 314. There were some reports that Trump may have 'snubbed' Hines (wife of RFK Jr) at the event, but the footage below shows that was not the case."
The interest in the incident was heightened partly because of Hines' past public criticism of Trump, whom she has previously described as "ridiculous and disrespectful." Despite these comments, Hines has been seen at several Trump-related events at Mar-a-Lago and the White House since her husband endorsed Trump and joined his administration.
The UFC event itself was notable for the enthusiastic reception President Trump received from the crowd upon his entrance. He was there with members of his Cabinet, including Kennedy, which underscored the unity within the administration's leadership as they watched the evening's bouts together.
