Social media users erupted in response to President-elect Trump’s “dominating” handshake with French President Emmanuel Macron during their meeting in Paris on Saturday. The two leaders met ahead of the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, Trump’s first international trip since winning the 2024 presidential election.
The handshake, which went viral online, saw Trump exerting significant pressure on Macron’s hand, leading many to comment that Macron would need a hand massage afterwards. Some social media users even drew comparisons to a previous handshake between the two leaders in 2017, which lasted for 29 seconds and appeared to be a tug-of-war.
“President Trump is back to dominating world leaders with his handshake,” wrote one user. “Macron is going to need a hand massage after all that twisting and pulling Trump did to him.”
The Trump-Macron handshake has been compared to other notable handshakes involving the President-elect, including one with Russian President Putin at the G-20 Summit in 2019, which saw Trump pull in Putin’s arm during the handshake.
Trump attended the Notre Dame Cathedral reopening ceremony alongside other political figures, including first lady Jill Biden and Prince William. The event marked a significant moment in international relations, and the handshake between Trump and Macron has sparked a flurry of reactions on social media.
