Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron appeared to engage in a tense exchange on Monday as they shook hands
President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron seemed to engage in a private war of words on Monday during a tense handshake at a summit in Egypt, which was aimed at resolving the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The two leaders have had a tumultuous relationship over the years, marked by moments of camaraderie and apparent antagonism. The latest incident occurred as Macron joined other nations in recognising Palestinian statehood – a move that Trump described as a reward for Hamas’ terror attack on 7 October 2023.
In Sharm El Sheikh on Monday, Trump and Macron held onto each other’s hands for nearly half a minute, seemingly wrestling for physical dominance during a photo opportunity. This news comes as Keir Starmer is left embarrassed by Donald Trump, being made to wait his turn for a handshake.
A professional lip reader who watched the exchange suggested that the pair might have been issuing veiled threats and allegations at each other before deciding to continue their discussion privately.
“Nice to see you, so you agreed?” Trump asked Macron as he joined him on the summit stage, according to lip reader Nicola Hickling, as reported by the Mirror US.
Macron responded while facing away from the camera.
“Is it genuine?” Trump seemed to ask.
“Of course,” Macron replied.
“Okay, so now I want to know why. You hurt me. I already know,” Trump appeared to say.
“I am making peace.”
Macron patted Trump’s hand and looked down at it, saying, “Excuse me,” according to Hickling.
Trump appeared to disregard his request and gripped his hand even more firmly. “Let’s handle this behind closed doors,” Macron seemed to suggest.
“I only hurt the other,” Trump responded.
“I see. We will have to see about that – you will see what is about to happen,” Macron cautioned.
“I’d like to see you do it,” Trump shot back. “Do it. I’ll see you in a bit.”
The photo opportunity on stage formed part of a summit co-hosted by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, designed to “end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability,” according to the Egyptian presidency.
Twenty world leaders attended the gathering, including heads of Qatar, Palestine, Turkey, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, Norway and representatives from the United Nations and European Council.
Conspicuously absent from the summit were Israeli officials and representatives from Hamas.
Hickling observed that the tense exchange between Macron and Trump on Monday perpetuated a long tradition of theatrical diplomacy, characterising it as an example of “power play by touch.
“Repeatedly prolonged, tight handgrips between these two have a clear history as theatrical diplomacy. The squeeze here (Trump squeezing Macron’s hand while speaking) reads as an attempt to dominate the interaction physically while delivering a conciliatory/accusatory line,” she wrote in an email to The Mirror US. “This mirrors documented public handshake tussles between the pair.”
In attempting to disengage from the shake, Macron appeared to favour a de-escalation, Hickling added.
“Tapping the hand, looking down and then turning away are classic appeasement / de-escalation gestures and an attempt to remove himself from the physical dominance,” she said.
“Excuse me’ combined with turning away signals discomfort and a wish to break the engagement.”
Hickling said there appeared to be a mismatch between Trump’s words and body language.
Even as he seemed to tell Macron he was “making peace,” he contradicted the idea by tightening his grip.
“That mismatch increases the likelihood this was friendly-theatre mixed with a clear assertion of control,” she said.
Whilst the specific content of their row on Monday was not immediately clear, it followed a clash between the two leaders late last month regarding the recognition of Palestinian statehood.
“I think it honours Hamas, and you can’t do that because of Oct. 7. You just can’t do that,” Trump told reporters in September in response to France’s announcement supporting Palestine.
The number of global nations advocating for Palestinian statehood now totals more than 145.
The U.S. is one of the few in the minority.
“Nobody forgets the 7th of October, but after almost two years of war, what is the result?” Macron responded.
“This is not the right way to proceed.
“There is one person who can do something about [the war in Gaza], and that is the U.S. president,” Macron announced on France’s BFMTV.
“And the reason he can do more than us is because we do not supply weapons that allow the war in Gaza to be waged. We do not supply equipment that allows war to be waged in Gaza. The United States of America does.”
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
#Donald #Trumps #5word #threat #Emmanuel #Macron #tense #handshake
