Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron appeared to exchange a series of threats and accusations during a tense handshake at a summit in Egypt on Monday, a lip reader has claimed
President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron seemed to engage in a private verbal tussle on Monday during a strained, prolonged handshake at an Egyptian summit aimed at resolving the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The relationship between the two leaders over the years has been a rollercoaster of friendly exchanges and apparent hostile encounters. The latest incident occurred as Macron joined other nations in acknowledging Palestinian statehood – a move that Trump labelled as a reward for Hamas’ terror attack on 7th October 2023.
On Monday, in Sharm El Sheikh, Trump and Macron’s hands were locked in a firm grip for nearly half a minute, seemingly vying for physical supremacy during a photo opportunity. A professional lip reader who analysed the interaction suggested that the pair might have exchanged veiled threats and allegations before deciding to continue their discussion privately.
“Nice to see you, so you agreed?” Trump queried Macron as he joined him on the summit stage, according to lip reader Nicola Hickling. Macron responded while facing away from the camera.
“Is it genuine?” Trump appeared to question. “Of course,” Macron retorted, reports the Mirror US.
“Okay, so now I want to know why. You hurt me. I already know,” Trump seemed to express. “I am making peace.”
Macron patted Trump’s hand and glanced down at it, uttering, “Excuse me,” as per Hickling’s interpretation.
Trump seemed to disregard his plea and tightened his grip even further.
“Let’s handle this behind closed doors,” Macron seemed to suggest. “I only hurt the other,” Trump shot back.
“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 retorted. “Do it. I’ll see you in a bit.”
The public photo opportunity was part of a summit co-hosted by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, aimed at “ending the war in the Gaza Strip, enhancing efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and ushering in a new era of regional security and stability,” as stated by the Egyptian presidency.
Twenty global leaders graced the meeting, including the heads of Qatar, Palestine, Turkey, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, Norway and representatives from the United Nations and European Council.
Notably missing from the summit were Israeli officials and Hamas representatives.
Hickling noted that the tense exchange between Macron and Trump on Monday continued their long-standing tradition of dramatic diplomacy, dubbing it a “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 penned in an email to The Mirror US. “This mirrors documented public handshake tussles between the pair.”
In his attempt to withdraw from the handshake, Macron seemed to opt for a calming approach, according to Hickling.
“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 explained. “‘Excuse me’ combined with turning away signals discomfort and a wish to break the engagement.”
Hickling noted a discrepancy between Trump’s verbal and non-verbal communication. Despite seemingly telling Macron he was “making peace,” he contradicted this sentiment by tightening his grip.
“That mismatch increases the likelihood this was friendly-theatre mixed with a clear assertion of control,” she observed.
While the exact details of their disagreement on Monday remain unclear, it comes on the heels of a clash between the two leaders last month over 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 journalists in September, reacting to France’s announcement supporting Palestine. The tally of worldwide nations advocating for Palestinian statehood now exceeds 145, with the U.S. being one of the few dissenters.
“Nobody forgets the 7th of October, but after almost two years of war, what is the result?” Macron retorted. “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 declared 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.”
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