 "Macron and Trump maintained their handshake for a few seconds while posing for photos. Reuters")
US President-elect Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron stirred a storm on social media because of yet another awkward handshake. Netizens started sharing one joke after another on Saturday afternoon after the two leaders exchanged one of their memorably long, white-knuckled handshakes while meeting in France. Trump arrived in Paris to take part in the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame Cathedral.
This was Trump’s first trip abroad after he won the 2024 US presidential election against Vice President Kamala Harris. Ahead of the re-opening ceremony, Macron greeted Trump with a 10-second long handshake in which Trump was seen assertively grabbing the French president’s hand and shaking it with gusto.
Things became even more hilarious when Macron tried to pull away from Trump’s tight grip, which even brought the French leader closer for a photo op. Even after posing for the photographs, Trump and Macron maintained a firm grip, ushering him into the Elysee Palace.
The handshake saga continues
The two leaders have exchanged multiple awkward handshakes when Trump was first in power. It eventually became a staple of their relationship from 2017 to 2020. “I’ve missed the Trump-Macron arm-wrestles,” television personality Piers Morgan wrote sharing the video of the whole exchange on X, formerly known as Twitter.
While meeting in 2017, Trump and Macron shared an equally awkward handshake in front of the media. At that time the Republican firebrand attempted to pull away only for the French president to tighten his grip.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsLater in the same year, the two leaders maintained a handshake for a whopping 29 seconds, with the two leaders refusing to let go. In 2018, Macron even left a visible imprint on Trump’s hand after yet another intense handshake. “Welcome to the latest round of the Trump/Macron handshake power struggle saga…” one person wrote on X in response to Saturday’s variation of the handshake. “There’s that handshake again,” another exclaimed.
With inputs from agencies.