May 26, 2017
A handshake is one of the ways a person makes their first impression and US President Donald Trump is obviously a firm believer of this thought.
Trump met the newly-elected French President Emmanuel Macron right before the NATO summit on Thursday and the meeting offered a sneak peek into how the US-French relations may pan out in future.
So let’s take a look at their handshake!
The American President makes sure to meet at least one new leader every two or three weeks so he can add a new handshake to his constantly expanding collection of awkward but well-documented handshakes.
'I know what you're gonna do!'
'I'm fully aware of what's coming'
'Haha, gotcha!'
According to The Washington Post’s Phillip Rucker, who watched the two leaders greet each other in person, “their knuckles turned white, their jaws clenched, and their faces tightened. Trump reached in first, but then he tried to release, twice, but Macron kept his grip until letting go.”
Needless to say, the businessman-turned-President always attempts to imply that he holds more power. Or maybe it is just a war of wills.
Trump’s handshakes have gained popularity around the world for being longer than expected and depicting his signature tug-shake-tug-some-more move.
On the other hand, Trump notoriously ignored German Chancellor Angela Merkel's offer of a handshake.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau seems to have gotten the hang of it.
Oh and someone in the past totally blocked Trump's offer to shake hands!
However, by now, most of the leaders are well-prepared for the tug so it seems that Trump’s technique has started to fail.