Macron Says Tense Handshake With Trump Was ‘Moment Of Truth’

President Donald Trump shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting at the U.S. Embassy, Thursday, May 25, 2017, in Brussels. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron says his now famous white-knuckle handshake showdown with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump was “a moment of truth” — designed to show that he’s no pushover.

Macron told a Sunday newspaper in France that “my handshake with him, it wasn’t innocent.”

Macron added: “One must show that you won’t make small concessions, even symbolic ones, but also not over-publicize things, either.”

Macron’s office confirmed to The Associated Press the veracity of the president’s comments in Le Journal du Dimanche.

At their first meeting, ahead of a NATO summit in Brussels on Thursday, the two men locked hands for so long that knuckles started turning white. The French leader held the shake for a few seconds more. Both men’s jaws seemed to clench.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Notable Replies

  1. And there you have it. The whole civilized world is now outwardly contemptuous of the current President of the United States. And no one is more deserving.

  2. What so you expect when you have to deal with a school yard bully who should have been smacked down in the third grade and taught some manners?

  3. This little episode shows that Macron, for his lack of political experience, is pretty damn savvy in how he decided to challenge Trump so he wouldn’t be treated with complete contempt like he does with Merkel.

    The fact that his office said that the incident shouldn’t be over-publicized either was a nice touch about being big picture.

  4. Le président français Emmanuel Macron, maître troller. Bien joué.

  5. Vive la France, and Germany more than ever!

    (Whoops, and Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Switzerland, Norway, Portugal, Denmark and the rest of Europe.)

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