If you were hoping for U.S. President Donald Trump’s trip to the G7 summit of world leaders this week in Canada to go by without a hitch, you’ve long had your hopes dashed. He set off to make a mark on the get together basically from the start, telling reporters before he left for Canada that he wished Russia was present for the talks and imposing tariffs on our allies around the world including some members of the G7 group itself before that.
Now, one of the latest bizarre tidbits to come out of the gathering is in the form of a photo documenting the aftermath of a handshake between Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron. The two have actually shared notably bizarre handshakes in the past, with their greetings repeatedly lasting beyond a normal length and serving in Macron’s description as an opportunity for him to refuse to make even the smallest concession to Trump.
This time around, at this week’s G7 summit, Macron was so passionate while shaking Trump’s hand that he left a mark, literally.
The moment was shared on Twitter by a number of journalists.
Chungyan Chow quipped:
‘Trump, famous for his forceful handshake, has become a victim of Emmanuel Macron. See how the French left his mark on poor Donald’s hand. Force is strong with this one.’
Trump, famous for his forceful handshake, has become a victim of Emmanuel Macron. See how the French left his mark on poor Donald’s hand. Force is strong with this one. pic.twitter.com/eeEhl2BTj0
— Chungyan Chow (@ChungyanChow) June 9, 2018
Check out other views of the moment of the Trump-Macron G7 handshake and its aftermath below.
The imprint of French President Emmanuel Macron’s thumb can be seen across the back of Trump’s hand after they shook hands at the G7. Great frame from @LeahMillis pic.twitter.com/VA8RlkYX8a
— corinne_perkins (@corinne_perkins) June 8, 2018
Macron wins the handshake game #macron #trump #G7 #G7Summit pic.twitter.com/Vahm1m8KyP
— Nick Wenmaekers (@NickWenmaekers) June 9, 2018
As mentioned already, the situation of the perpetually awkward handshakes between the two world leaders has actually been acknowledged by them in the past.
Macron commented at one point;
‘One must show that you won’t make small concessions, even symbolic ones, but also not over-publicize things, either.’
At the actual G7 summit this week, after a reporter suggested the two arm wrestle, Trump quipped:
‘He’d be very tough to beat. He’s my friend. We’ve had a great relationship right from the beginning.’
Some of the notable instances before the G7 summit this week when Trump and Macron shared awkward handshakes include a trip Macron took to the U.S. earlier this year — the French president was actually the guest of honor, alongside his wife, at the first state dinner of the Trump administration — and a trip Trump took to Paris last year for Bastille Day.
Tension between the two men stems from issues outside that of the tariffs Trump recently imposed, although those certainly continue to loom largely over the relations of the two countries.
Other sources of the tension include President Trump having announced an intent to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Accord last year, a monumental agreement meant to chart the global path forward for dealing with climate change.
All of the various sources of tension fit into the larger picture of President Trump seeming to look out for Trump and Trump alone while leading the United States and dealing with the rest of the world. He’s certainly already made his mark, but possible further negative ramifications of his time in office remain to be seen.
Featured Image via Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
