Donald Trump called out for 'weird' move on Brigitte Macron after arriving in France
Topics: Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron
Kiesha Dosanjh
Featured Image Credit: Ludovic MARIN / AFP via Getty Image
Topics: Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron
People are analyzing Donald Trump's seemingly long handshake with Brigitte Macron after arriving in France.
The President touched down in the European country on Monday, where he met the French President Emmanuel Macron and the First Lady at the G7 summit in Evian‑les‑Bains.
In a clip, which is now going viral online, Trump can be seen walking towards Emmanuel Macron, giving him a firm handshake.
However, it's his actions after that had people raising their eyebrows, as he engaged in an awkwardly long hand-shake with Brigitte.
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Trump placed his hand on her shoulder as he leaned in for the traditional French greeting, known as La Bise, in which they lightly touched cheeks while shaking her hand.
Trump didn't seem to let go of her hand, however, as he continued to converse with the couple while engaging in a 'tug of war' style handshake with Brigitte, which lasted for around 13 seconds.
"That’s awkward!" exclaimed one, as the video continues to circulate the internet, with another penning: " Wonder what that’s all about."
"She looked very ready to let go about five seconds in," a third commented.
In more pictures and footage, Trump can be seen holding Brigitte's hand as she walks.
Trump does his weird handshake tug of war with Brigitte Macron pic.twitter.com/b4LZpg2sly
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 15, 2026
It's not the first time the President has engaged in these types of handshakes, regularly doing so with the French President himself.
Just last year, the pair went viral after sharing a handshake that lasted almost 30 seconds in Egypt, with similar interactions occurring in 2017.
However, the recent interaction comes after Trump made some pretty awkward comments about the couple at a private event in April, claiming Brigitte treats her husband 'extremely badly'.
“I call up France, Macron, whose wife treats him extremely badly,” he said.
“Still recovering from the right to the jaw.”
The comments seemingly came after a viral clip which saw Brigitte 'push' her husband's face on a jet, as they touched down in Hanoi, Vietnam.
However, Elysee sources were quoted by French media as saying that the moment between the husband and wife was 'a moment in which the president and his wife were unwinding by goofing about one last time before the start of the trip'.
Macron also said that himself and his wife were 'just joking about as we do', BBC News reported at the time.