Holding Hands and Brushing Off 'Dandruff': Trump Tries to Forge a Bromance with French President
President Donald Trump was apparently eager to forge a friendship with fellow world leader Emmanuel Macron amid a state visit on Tuesday — but two headline-making moments seemed more awkward than amiable.
First, some people on Twitter poked fun of Trump after he grabbed the French president’s hand — and then continued holding it while leading him away from reporters outside the White House.
“That Trump-Macron hand grab thing just now was super weird,” CNN’s Chris Cillizza observed on Twitter. “Can someone please GIF it for me?”
Another Twitter user jokingly added “light hand-holding” to the Trump-Macron state-visit schedule, in between bilateral meetings and state dinner.
Watch Trump yank Macron away like he’s a kid on a mission to eat some ice cream. pic.twitter.com/tGrDAsakAR
— Scott Dworkin (@funder) April 24, 2018
That Trump-Macron hand grab thing just now was super weird.
Can someone please GIF it for me?— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) April 24, 2018
Trump-Macron Schedule:
1) Bilateral meetings
2) Light hand holding
3) State dinner pic.twitter.com/NPVCVFJap7— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) April 24, 2018
The moment came on the heels’ of yet another awkward hand-holding episode between Trump and wife Melania — prompting comments that no one seems to want to hold Trump’s hand today.
Neither Melania nor Macron want to hold Trump's hand. https://t.co/Q5aC1xayaA
— Jim Cassidy (@JimCassidy48) April 24, 2018
Melania won't hold Trump's hand , so he's forcing Macron to. #MacronTrump https://t.co/10OtBLQFZj
— Bekah (@rebekahkfreitas) April 24, 2018
That’s cause Trump needs to hold someone’s hand and I guess Macron is it since Melania already has hand checked him today.
— Erika Outlaw (@OutlawErika) April 24, 2018
Later, in the Oval Office, Trump struck an uncomfortable note once again when he joked that he was brushing dandruff off Macron’s shoulder.
“They’re all saying what a great relationship we have, and they’re actually correct,” Trump said to Macron and reporters gathered in the Oval Office. “We do have a very special relationship. In fact, I’ll get that little piece of dandruff off — we have to make him perfect. He is perfect.”
He then turned to Macron and brushed his shoulder as photographers clicked away.
Some people on Twitter called the moment a diplomatic “power move.”
A tweet from a parody Trump account joked: “I wasn’t able to overpower #France President #Macron with my macho handshake,so my next power move was pretending to pick dandruff off his suit & telling the press I did it to make him ‘perfect’!”
I wasn’t able to overpower #France President #Macron with my macho handshake,so my next power move was pretending to pick dandruff off his suit & telling the press I did it to make him “perfect”!#America MUST be so PROUD of #Trump diplomacy!#Spanky#TrumpCult#TrumpCrimeFamily
— Donald J. Trump (@Trumptweets2020) April 24, 2018
HOLY SHIT. TRUMP JUST SAID HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH MACRON IS SO GOOD THAT HE BRUSHED OFF DANDRUFF FROM HIS COAT IN FRONT OF THE CAMERAS. DIPLOMATIC POWER MOVE. pic.twitter.com/IIeNVCKLKS
— David Mack (@davidmackau) April 24, 2018
A lot of people were confident the move was intended to belittle Macron.
Trump picking 'Dandruff' off Macron: Power play. An insult. A bald old man jealously grooming a full haired young man. Weird?
Never witnessed anything remotely close happening when global powers meet. I’m sure the French are embarrassed & outraged! ???? pic.twitter.com/bpTppgiJTr— Jigme (@JigmeUgen) April 24, 2018
Trump trying to play bully and tough guy. #BarrelsOfMoney
It was their money.
Trying to embarrass Macron over the 'brushing off dandruff' stunt.
WTF?— 2018 Vote Dems! Our Lives Depend on Our Votes! (@AlasscanIsBack) April 24, 2018
Trump touches Macron without permission & manages to insult him about his dandruff? Unbelievably crass. https://t.co/noPKy9qFTO
— Patty (@2havefun72) April 24, 2018
I just saw #Preisdent #Trump , a man who tapes his tie to his shirt publicly act like he had to remove "dandruff" from the suite of the stylish #French President Macron Life is a cartoon.
— Jason DeWall (@JasonDeWall) April 24, 2018
No, this isn’t an SNL skit, it’s Trump telling Macron he has dandruff on his suit and wiping it off pic.twitter.com/uJd33tRvYv
— Roland Scahill (@rolandscahill) April 24, 2018
Trump wipes off dandruff from Macron's shoulder: "We have to make him perfect." You can pass this for SNL, but it is real life. pic.twitter.com/C7ZZlZAdDa
— #Thinker ???? (@areta) April 24, 2018
And a couple tweeters had to remind themselves that yes, this was really happening — and not on Saturday Night Live.
