President Trump’s unwieldy handshakes with other world leaders have long been closely watched, but at the close of his Paris visit Friday, he shared a truly striking hand maneuver with French President Emmanuel Macron.
After attending a Bastille Day parade that included tanks and flyovers, Trump and his French counterpart ambled towards the U.S. motorcade with their wives.
President Trump and Macron began shaking hands as they were walking side by side but slowed to a halt, which is when Trump apparently yanked Macron’s arm, knocking him off balance.
The two then turned to one another and appeared to be in conversation, with their hands still clasped. French first lady Brigitte Macron approached the pair, perhaps to intervene, and Trump greeted her with a pair of kisses, all the while never letting go of Macron.
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President Trump and Macron had previously shared another attention-grabbing handshake, albeit one that was far surpassed in intensity by Friday’s display. Ahead of a NATO summit in May, the two held a photo op, and a reporter in the room described “Each president gripped the other’s hand with considerable intensity, their knuckles turning white and their jaws clenching and faces tightening.”
Afterwards, Macron told the French newspaper Journal du Dimanche that the ferocity was intentional.
My handshake with him – it wasn’t innocent,” Macron said. “It’s not the be-all and the end-all of a policy, but it was a moment of truth.”