--- ---  # A History of President Trump's Awkward Handshakes ## Video: A History of President Trump's Memorable Handshakes [Watch (HLS stream): A History of President Trump's Memorable Handshakes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/nAQAXrmo.m3u8) (2:39)  _Published 2017-05-30. A look back at some of Donald Trump's most memorable handshakes with world leaders and U.S. government officials over the past few months._ by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/) and [Kenneth Bachor](https://time.com/author/kenneth-bachor/) May 29, 2017 8:32 PM UTC  Donald Trump shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting at the U.S. Embassy, on May 25, 2017, in Brussels. Donald Trump shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting at the U.S. Embassy, on May 25, 2017, in Brussels.Evan Vucci—AP by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/) and [Kenneth Bachor](https://time.com/author/kenneth-bachor/) May 29, 2017 8:32 PM UTC Newly inaugurated French President Emmanuel Macron drew international headlines when his knuckles turned white during an intense handshake with President Donald Trump at the G-7 meeting — an encounter he later called a “moment of truth.” But Macron’s handshake with Trump wasn’t the first time one of the President’s greetings has drawn scrutiny, or been the source of a viral moment that ricocheted across the internet. Trump’s handshake with Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch after he announced his intent to nominate him immediately drew notice, as it appeared like Trump was tugging on the justice’s hand. And his handshake with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was thoroughly analyzed as well, with many opining that Trudeau wasn’t letting himself get pulled into the traditional tug. Sometimes, a lack of a handshake says even more. The President drew similar fanfare when he declined to shake the hand of German Chancellor Angela Merkel when she visited the White House. Take a look at some of the other notable Trump handshakes that have caused a stir above.  French President Emmanuel Macron gives Donald Trump a "white-knuckle" handshake in Brussels, on May 25, 2017. Evan Vucci—AP  A combination photo shows Donald Trump, left, trying twice to let go of a handshake with France's President Emmanuel Macron in Brussels, on May 25, 2017. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters  Donald Trump shakes Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's hand for 19 seconds at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 10, 2017. Chip Somodevilla—AP  Donald Trump holds hands with British Prime Minister Theresa May, as they walk along the colonnade of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 27, 2017. Pablo Martinez Monsivais—AP  Donald Trump shakes hands while attempting to embrace former FBI Director James Comey in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22, 2017. Andrew Harrer—AP  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau "beat" Donald Trump's dominant handshake while bracing each other in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 13, 2017. Carlos Barria—Reuters  Donald Trump pulls Judge Neil Gorsuch closer to him while shaking hands in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 31, 2017. Carlos Barria—Reuters  U.S. President-elect Donald Trump yanks Mike Pence closer with a handshake during his election night rally in New York City, on Nov. 9, 2016. Mike Segar—Reuters  Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel meets with Donald Trump, after notably not shaking hands at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 17, 2017. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters Donald Trump: See All His Handshakes That Have Gone Viral ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4797283/trump-handshakes-emmanuel-macron-justin-trudeau-neil-gorsuch/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4797283/trump-handshakes-emmanuel-macron-justin-trudeau-neil-gorsuch/"},"headline":"A History of President Trump's Awkward Handshakes","datePublished":"2017-05-29T20:32:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:43:08.628Z","description":"The Macron-Trump showdown was just the latest","url":"https://time.com/4797283/trump-handshakes-emmanuel-macron-justin-trudeau-neil-gorsuch/","keywords":["Donald Trump","White House","photography","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd3993b6de6d58df5/6988cf4fcf40a8d9abc47e5c/trump-handshake-fb.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alana Abramson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Kenneth Bachor","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/kenneth-bachor/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd3993b6de6d58df5/6988cf4fcf40a8d9abc47e5c/trump-handshake-fb.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Donald Trump,Emmanuel Macron","caption":"Donald Trump,Emmanuel Macron","creditText":"Evan Vucci—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4797283/trump-handshakes-emmanuel-macron-justin-trudeau-neil-gorsuch/","name":"A History of President Trump's Awkward Handshakes"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"A History of President Trump's Memorable Handshakes","description":"A look back at some of Donald Trump's most memorable handshakes with world leaders and U.S. government officials over the past few months.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/nAQAXrmo/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-05-30T18:53:02.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/nAQAXrmo.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4797283/trump-handshakes-emmanuel-macron-justin-trudeau-neil-gorsuch/","duration":"PT2M39S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4797283/trump-handshakes-emmanuel-macron-justin-trudeau-neil-gorsuch/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```