Emmanuel Macron speaks out about 'moment of truth' handshake with Donald Trump
French President admits intense handshake captured with US President 'wasn't innocent'
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French President Emmanuel Macron says his now famous white-knuckle handshake showdown with Donald Trump was “a moment of truth” — designed to show that he's no pushover.
Mr Macron told Le Journal du Dimanche, a Sunday newspaper in France: “my handshake with him, it wasn't innocent.”
The new French leader added: “One must show that you won't make small concessions, even symbolic ones, but also not over-publicise things, either.”
Mr Macron's office confirmed to the Associated Press that the newspaper had made no fabrication of the president’s comments.
The US President and Mr Macron met for the first time in Brussels on Thursday, ahead of a NATO summit.
The two were seen shaking hands for so long that their knuckles started turning white and their jaws clenched, it was reported, but the French leader held his grip for a few seconds more.
A few hours later, President Trump was captured on film appearing to shove Montenegro's Prime Minister out of the way in a bid to get to the front of the NATO group.
Mr Trump has become known for his infamously dominant handshake, which he offered to Japanese leader Shinzo Abe for 19 seconds upon their meeting in February.
Eventually, a visibly bewildered Mr Abe let go, but was complimented on his “strong hands” by Mr Trump.
When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the White House later that month, he resisted Trump’s perceived “jerk and pull” style of handshake by placing his left hand on the US leader’s shoulder for balance.
The moment was hailed as a victory, labelled by social media users as the “biggest display of dominance in the history of Canada”.
Mr Trump and Theresa May were photographed “holding hands” as he led along the White House colonnade in January, in what was described as a symbol of the “special relationship” between the two nations.
It was later revealed that the British Prime Minister was in fact helping Mr Trump, since the US leader has a known fear of descending slopes and stairs, a Washington source claimed.
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