Body language expert breaks down Donald Trump and French President's attempt to 'assert power' during awkward handshake
Topics: World News, Politics, Donald Trump, France, US News
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: ABC News
Topics: World News, Politics, Donald Trump, France, US News
A body language expert has broken down that handshake between Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron.
Yesterday (February 24), Macron traveled almost 4,000 miles from Paris to Washington, D.C. to sit down with President Trump.
During his visit, the two heads of state discussed a series of different topics, including the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Speaking to the press, Trump said that Europe is 'loaning the money to Ukraine' and would be 'getting their money back' — something he doesn’t believe America will.
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But Macron quickly interjected.
"No, in fact. To be frank, we paid," the French President insisted. "We paid 60 percent of the total effort."
Before sitting down together, Trump was on hand to greet Macron — who is the the first European leader to be invited to Washington since Trump's inauguration last month.
When he arrived at the White House, Trump gave him a very stern (if not aggressive) handshake.
Macron wasn't going to cower to Trump's attempt at dominance however, and returned the handshake in the same way.
Donald Trump welcomed France's President Emmanuel Macron to the White House with a very long handshake. pic.twitter.com/vwLeNLpBaa
— USA TODAY Video (@usatodayvideo) February 24, 2025
Now a body language expert has broken down the awkward moment between the pair.
Speaking on behalf of Spin Genie, body language expert Darren Stanton revealed to UNILAD: "When Trump shakes hands with politicians, it’s almost as though he crushes their hands.
"His handshakes are always very dominating and strong. As Trump shook Macron’s hand, we saw him pulling Macron towards him — and Marcon pulled Trump towards him too.
"It tells us neither of them wanted to appear weaker than the other in this exchange."
"There is a huge sense of both of them wanting to assert power over the other," Stanton went on.
"Trump and Macron don’t have the deepest connection from what I’ve seen. When they’re smiling at each other and the cameras, it doesn’t come across as very genuine. It seems to be a bit over the top.
"I can also see signals of feelings of slight contempt coming from Macron. However, I can tell from the way they interact with each other that they both have a mutual respect for one another as politicians. They’re definitely both making a conscious effort."
The expert concluded: "Overall, they’ve got a reasonable working relationship — they’re like colleagues, but they don’t have to be the closest. I think Trump tolerates people and Macron is one of them."
What do you think of the moment between the two?