Trump's handshakes with world leaders are legendary - here's a roundup of the most awkward ones
One of the most awkward of Trump's handshakes was the handshake that wasn't. In his first official interaction with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Merkel asks him for a handshake, but Trump either didn't hear her or ignored her request.
When Trump met Polish President Andrzej Duda and first lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda, he found himself on the receiving end of a handshake rejection after the Polish first lady glossed over his attempt to shake her hand, and greeted Melania instead.
This one's probably more on President Narendra Modi of India than Trump. Modi held onto Trump's hand for way too long after going in for a handshake that turned into a hug.
... and again.
This one was more hand-holding than handshake. Trump grabs Macron's hand, shakes it, pats it, shakes it again, keeps holding it as Macron stumbles, then grabs Brigitte Macron's hand as well, holds them both, and finally lets go after a long 30 seconds.
Macron thought he had won. But later that day, as the French president walked up to Trump and a group of other world leaders, he tried unsuccessfully to avoid shaking hands with Trump. He failed, and Trump got him back ...
Perhaps the most famous person to trump the president's handshake was French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron was reportedly warned about Trump's aggressive style before meeting him, and he was obviously prepared.
Trump seemed to try to let go about three quarters of the way through, but Macron didn't let him. Pundits called attention to the French leader's white knuckles, and the internet lit up with amusing reactions.
Pretty soon though, some leaders found ways to capitalize on Trump's handshaking style. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made sure he was prepared for Trump's push-and-pull rhythm.
In May, Trump did something similar when meeting President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan while on a trip to Saudi Arabia. Watch Trump's arm as it flails emphatically throughout the lengthy handshake.
Word spread quickly about Trump's bizarrely long and domineering handshaking style soon after he took office. Here, Trump ensnared Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a marathon 19-second handshake.
Abe's perplexed expression in the handshake's aftermath spread online and on TV talks shows like wildfire.
Trump's first handshake with a world leader after being elected was with none other than President Barack Obama. While the handshake itself was pretty normal, the lack of eye contact and the obvious tension between the two made for an awkward interaction.
Trump just got back from the Philippines, where he attended the ASEAN summit with other regional leaders. Everyone on stage was instructed to do the "ASEAN-way" handshake, and apparently Trump, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had a bit of trouble with it at first.
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