'Just an Optical Illusion': Former Beauty Queen Addresses Viral Donald Trump Kiss

A single, highly controversial photograph of Donald Trump appearing to kiss former Miss Albania Angela Martini has resurfaced nearly 15 years later after the latter addressed the controversy. The image of the pair smooching, at least that's how the public viewed it at the time, went viral because it happened just six years after Trump's wedding to Melania Trump.

The beauty queen, who competed in Miss Universe 2010, claims that the interaction was nothing more than a standard peck on the cheek and that the media frenzy was entirely unfounded. She shared the details of the encounter and blamed the online chatter on a distorting camera angle.

The Viral Kiss Photo and the Public Judgement

The much-talked-about photograph at the centre of the long-running scandal was taken at a 2011 Miss Universe photoshoot in New York. Martini was invited as a special guest at the site, where she met Trump. A photographer caught their interaction, but the shot was awkward because they appeared to be kissing intimately. Martini said it was not the case.

'It was just an optical illusion,' Martini explained in a recent interview. 'It was not true, but it looks weird in the picture because even the other contestant ... she has a weird expression like she's shocked,

The incident resulted in her receiving intense backlash from the public because Trump was married. Martini, however, was not bothered because she knew the 'truth.'

Just like her, the businessman-turned-politician has also reportedly ignored the reports. In fact, neither Trump nor his team contacted her about the issue because they all knew it was 'not true.'

She also shared her run-ins with the first couple and said both Donald and Melania Trump were 'very polite and nice.'

'I always had a very respectful relationship with him. I never felt the bad vibe,' Martini continued.

How Trump Singled Out the 'Difficult' Miss Albania

Martini also recounted an earlier interaction with Trump when she competed in Miss Universe 2010. She represented Albania and admitted that she wasn't sure about her fate in the competition because she witnessed some favouritism. However, her fate seemed to change when Trump, then-owner of Miss Universe, arrived.

She reportedly caught Trump's eye, and when he asked former Miss Universe president Paula Shugart about her, the latter told Trump that Martini was 'very difficult' and had 'attitude.' Nevertheless, Trump reportedly insisted on meeting her.

When they met, Trump introduced himself, told her, 'Nice to meet you,' then turned to Shugart and said, 'I want her to shine.'

Although Martini did not win the Miss Universe 2010 title, she finished sixth overall in the pageant. Miss Mexico Ximena Navarrete won the crown that year.

Martini's Account of Trump During the Pageant

According to Martini, throughout the whole time she was around Trump during the pageant, he was 'very polite' and 'very professional.' She also said, 'He never flirted.'

The former Miss Albania's personal recollections about Trump run counter to numerous negative accounts of his conduct around beauty contestants.

Samantha Holvey, the 2006 Miss North Carolina, had an opposite experience with Trump. She told CNN that Trump would inspect each contestant.

'He would step in front of each girl and look you over from head to toe like we were just meat, we were just sexual objects, that we were not people,' Holvey said in 2016. 'You know when a gross guy at the bar is checking you out? It's that feeling.'

Cassandra Searles, who competed in the 2013 Miss USA pageant, also shared a similar statement about Trump. She claimed in a Facebook post that he asked them to do their introductions again simply because 'we didn't look him in the eyes.'

The beauty pageant contestants' accounts of their interactions with Trump present a sharply divided picture. Martini, for her part, has maintained that her relationship with Trump has always been professional and the viral kiss photo was just an unfortunate shot taken from a bad angle.