Donald Trump’s handshakes have always been more than greetings, they’re performances. No matter the setting, his signature clasps, pulls, and tugs often reveal more about his insecurities than his strength.
What should show confidence instead exposes what one critic jokingly described as a “lack of self-esteem.” His exaggerated gestures have often turned him into viral meme materials with each new handshake adding to the ever-growing list of awkward encounters.
During his viral 2024 presidential debate with Kamala Harris, Trump’s handshake made waves. Observers and body language experts took to social media, calling his behavior “petulant” and “emotionally immature.”
What made it even worse for Trump was Harris’s composed reaction as that further highlighted the President’s desperation.
His face-off with French President Emmanuel Macron in 2017 became another instant classic. Their 29-second grip battle seemed less like a handshake and more like a test of endurance. Macron refused to yield, matching Trump squeeze for squeeze.
Their tightly bound hands reflected the chilly tenor of the U.S.–Europe relations, each trying to outdo the other in subtle aggression. It was less a diplomatic greeting and more a wrist-wrestling event on live television.
Then there is his encounter with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the 2019 G-20 Summit. The two men locked hands in Trump’s trademark clasp-and-yank move. A viral post joked, “Trump shakes Putin’s hand. You can tell who the real alpha in the room is.” Putin’s calm smirk said it all, he didn’t need to wrestle for control. Trump’s overcompensation turned what could have been camaraderie into comedy.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, met Trump’s handshake games with a steady grip. In 2017, a viral post read, “Trump goes in for the signature j—— handshake but Trudeau is all ‘no, I am the alpha here.’”
Trudeau’s composed resistance turned the moment into a symbolic tug-of-war between two world leaders, one desperate for control, the other effortlessly in charge. Their white-knuckle handshake showed that sometimes restraint wins the power game.
Here’s Donald Trump and Macron sharing an awkward handshake!
What was Macron thinking at that moment?
pic.twitter.com/qrLcYqaoaP— Lucas Sanders 💙🗳️🌊💪🌈🚺🟧 (@LucasSa56947288) October 13, 2025
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2025 meeting with Trump added another round to these handshake theatrics. The two men, political adversaries for years, faced off amid California’s wildfire crisis.
Newsom spoke firmly, while Trump’s handshake turned almost comically aggressive. Observers dubbed it a “seesaw showdown.” As one commentator quipped, “Can anyone say ‘cringe?’” It became yet another meme-worthy episode in Trump’s long history of overplayed dominance displays.
Even royalty wasn’t spared. In May 2025, Trump greeted the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, with what one witness called a “hard-pump double pull-in.” He ended it with a firm pat on the arm, completing what many described as the quintessential “Trump touch.” A video of the handshake went viral as audiences cringed and laughed in equal measure.
The spectacle continued when Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in April 2025. Communications advisor Margo Martin posted a clip from Mar-a-Lago, where Trump declared, “The greatest dinner I’ve ever had,” before pulling Netanyahu into an intense, clasped-hand fist pump.
The awkwardness was palpable as both leaders smiled through a grip that looked more like an arm wrestle than a greeting. The exaggerated motion once again betrayed Trump’s fixation with asserting power.
But perhaps the most infamous moment dates back to 2017, when Trump congratulated Neil Gorsuch on his appointment to the Supreme Court. Standing before the press, Trump grabbed Gorsuch’s hand and yanked him inward twice before adding what one observer described as a “condescending triple pat.”
A viral clip captured the bizarre exchange, noting how the “macho handshake” lingered uncomfortably long. Gorsuch’s strained smile said more than words could, this was a man caught in the President’s dominance ritual.
Each of these moments, from Harris to Putin to Gorsuch, painfully highlights Trump’s repeated and failed attempts to show power. He tries too hard and the result is always the same, which makes him look underconfident and way too eager to assert dominance.
