A handshake between President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday has gained widespread attention on social media for the thumb imprint the French leader left on Trump’s hand.
The two met at the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Canada over the weekend in what has come to be viewed as a tense gathering among the world’s leading industrialized democracies.
The greeting was reminiscent of another stiff handshake Trump and Macron shared in a meeting last year.
“My handshake with him, it wasn’t innocent,” Macron said of their first handshake. “It’s not the be-all and the end-all of a policy, but it was a moment of truth.”
Macron and Trump’s relationship got off to a rocky start, though the two had gotten closer in recent months. Trump visited France last summer for Bastille Day and, in April, the president hosted Macron for a state dinner at the White House.
Macron, however, was unsuccessful in his mission to convince Trump not to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, dealing a blow to U.S.-France relations.
In recent days, tensions with the European Union (EU) — France, in particular — have been high following Trump’s decision to implement steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from which he had previously exempted the EU.
{mosads}
Trump tussled with Macron over the decision a day before the G-7 summit.
The French leader on Thursday warned Trump that no leader lasts forever.
“The six countries of the G-7 without the United States, are a bigger market taken together than the American market,” Macron said during a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ontario. “There will be no world hegemony if we know how to organize ourselves. And we don’t want there to be one.”
Trump fired back, tweeting, “Please tell Prime Minister Trudeau and President Macron that they are charging the U.S. massive tariffs and create non-monetary barriers. The EU trade surplus with the U.S. is $151 Billion, and Canada keeps our farmers and others out.”
Despite tensions with Trump and speculation that the U.S. could be excluded from a joint statement issued at the summit’s conclusion, the seven nations ultimately signed a communique Saturday.