Donald Trump Awkwardly Struggles With ASEAN Handshake
It is alleged by some that U.S. President Donald Trump is not the best person when it comes to doing handshakes. Now, the 71-year-old POTUS has made what is said to be his “most awkward handshake” yet during his visit to the Philippines for the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.
Donald Trump is once again trending on social media after doing what has been dubbed as his “most awkward handshake” ever next to world leaders for the ASEAN summit. As the Telegraph reports, the U.S. president was present during the opening ceremonies for the conference.
Trump posed alongside other leaders for a group photo when the announcer asked everyone to do the “traditional” ASEAN handshake. The announcer gave instructions on how to do the said handshake, but the U.S. president seemed to struggle following the announcer’s instructions.
The traditional ASEAN handshake involves crossing of the right arm over the left and shaking the opposite hands of the leaders next to them. Trump was seemingly confused by the instructions, as he initially crossed his hands in front of him.
Realizing that he was doing something else, the U.S. president then extended his arms, but he was still unable to get the traditional handshake right, leaving Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte hanging. By then, Trump was finally able to get the handshake right and laughed at his momentary confusion.
This is said to be Trump’s most awkward handshake ever, sparking a lot of responses and amusing comments on social media. NDTV shared a couple of tweets capturing the U.S. president’s awkward mistake along with unflattering pictures, with some calling it Trump’s “constipated look.”
This isn’t the first time Trump’s handshake has made headlines, either. The aforementioned publication notes that his handshake has been his trademark during his first year as the president, which involves pulling and yanking.
During an earlier meeting with Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump pulled and held onto the prime minister’s hand for a long time. Abe rolled his eyes as Trump finally decided to let go of his hand. Trump’s handshake with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also sparked talks online during the latter’s visit to the White House.
President Trump is currently in Manila, Philippines, after visiting South Korea, China, Japan, and Vietnam. This will be his last stop for his Asian tour.
What do you think of President Donald Trump’s awkward handshake at the ASEAN conference?
[Featured Image by Andrew Harnik/AP Images]
