Trump-Merkel Handshake At G20: Was It POTUS’ Most Awkward Handshake Ever?
President Donald Trump has been making news for his participation in this week’s G20 summit in Germany, but it’s not necessarily in the manner you’d expect. Rather, it’s all because of a thing called “handshake-gate,” which may also include yesterday’s Trump-Merkel handshake that many have perceived to be more than a little awkward.
A report from Yahoo Be documented the photo-op Trump had with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at G20, as the two leaders marked their third meeting in a span of four months. The report described the Trump-Merkel handshake as the President’s “most awkward” yet, and this opinion wasn’t lost on a lot of social media users, who took to their favorite platforms to comment on the “Trumkel” handshake and how unusual they felt it looked.
“Merkel looks horrified, and Trump clueless,” said one Twitter user, as quoted by Yahoo Be.
Another user commented that the Trump-Merkel handshake as caught on camera represented the “weirdest photo of a meeting of two world leaders ever.”
Separately, CNN wrote that Donald Trump and Angela Merkel both looked “stunned” while their handshake was photographed for all the world to see.
‘They also both have an “am-I-doing-this-right’ look mixed with a ‘when-is-the-soonest-possible-moment-in-time-this-can-be-over’ look on their faces.”
Merkel perks up for her kiss with Trudeau in contrast to her reserved G20 welcomes for Trump, Putin and May https://t.co/0Ri8cg47fQ pic.twitter.com/n11n6AGR8l
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) July 7, 2017
Can we just recognize how awkward this photo op was? The Merkel-Trump handshake heard 'round the world @CNNPolitics https://t.co/pRynjCo7CO
— Lisa Mitchell (@LisaMitchL) July 6, 2017
Overall, it’s been a strange G20 summit for Trump, as far as body language, or lack thereof, is concerned. As the Inquisitr reported yesterday, G20 also saw Polish First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda apparently ignoring or not seeing Trump’s attempt to shake hands, as she seemingly walked past the U.S. President instead. This caused a huge stir on social media, with many Twitter users proclaiming Kornhauser-Duda as their new “hero.”
The incident also reminded many of the time of Trump and Merkel’s first meeting in March, where, as the Independent wrote in March, the two world leaders both looked “awkward” as they jointly appeared at the White House. It was noted that the U.S. President was seen ignoring requests to shake hands with the German Chancellor on live television.
Then again, not everybody believes that the Trump-Merkel handshake from yesterday was as awkward as many social media users thought it was. In a report from the New York Post, Ruth Brown brought up the two world leaders’ March meeting, and as she sees it, the G20 handshake wasn’t as bad as it looked, and even had some positive body language to speak of.
“There was no signs of that awkwardness on Thursday, as Trump offered Merkel a firm handshake, warm body-language and a smile before the two disappeared into a meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany,” wrote Brown.
Brown added that Trump also tried to lead Merkel to the meeting room, putting his hand on her back, but in this instance, it was Merkel who was guilty of negative body language, as she had “missed Trump’s cues” instead.
Readers, what are your thoughts on Donald Trump and Angela Merkel’s handshake at G20? Do you think it was an awkward photo-op for the U.S. President and German Chancellor, or do you believe that it felt natural and warm, as some have asserted? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
[Featured Image by Matthias Schrader/AP Images]
