President Trump has an…interesting…style when it comes to handshakes. It’s one that’s been covered by the likes of BuzzFeed, CNN, MSNBC and plenty of others. For those who aren’t familiar with his trademark “grab and pull” technique, check it out.
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
Trump has used this on countless world leaders, as well as his own Vice President Mike Pence (Exhibit B), and some speculate that it’s meant to assert dominance. Regardless of why he does this, Trump’s handshakes have been widely talked about in the media, even resulting in apparent clap backs by French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau –both of whom made a pointed effort not to let Trump yank them in.
On Thursday, President Trump and First Lady Melania met their Polish counterparts, Andrzej Duda and Agata Kornhauser-Duda. The greeting started out like any other, with the two Presidents shaking hands. However, when Trump moves to shake Agata’s hand, she appears to COMPLETELY ignore him. Instead she reaches across Trump to shake Melania’s hand.
https://twitter.com/_AndyHa/status/882982899913502720
Yikes! As our fav PCA gals would say:
With all the talk about Trump’s handshaking tendencies, this seemingly blatant refusal is truly newsworthy. The clip has already gone viral and Twitter has mixed reactions. Some are loving the presidential “fail” and think it’s hilarious:
I love that this failed Trump handshake in Poland is already a gif. Thank you, millennials. pic.twitter.com/5Kwm3eBMac
— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) July 6, 2017
Agata Kornhauser-Duda is my new hero. pic.twitter.com/VaL4Szp16y
— Jeff Tiedrich [retired account — see bio] (@jefftiedrich) July 6, 2017
While others have pointed out that the viral clip doesn’t actually show the whole story. The longer version shows that she does in fact accept his greeting the second time he offers his hand:
Folks, Poland's first lady did not diss Trump's handshake attempt. She was looking at Melania, shook her hand, then shook Trump's. Stop. pic.twitter.com/ta8DNsv0Th
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) July 6, 2017
https://twitter.com/TEN_GOP/status/883076138112872449
Was it a blatant jab at Trump? Or was it a complete accident that everyone’s making a huge deal out of for no reason? Only Agata knows, folks. All we know is that the encounter looked pretty awkward, and by the look on his face Trump was not a fan.