Watch: Trump and French President Macron Battle to Assert Dominance in White House Handshake

Love it or hate it, you can’t deny that President Donald Trump has been a transformative force in terms of how American politics is often presented.

To put it simply, Trump has brought in a pro-wrestling-like atmosphere (perhaps not a surprise for the WWE Hall of Famer) to mainstream politics.

So it should be little wonder that a seeming “test of strength” — a classic pro-wrestling spot — went viral when French President Emmanuel Macron visited the White House Monday.

Take a look at the viral moment below:

Donald Trump greets French President Macron with an absolute death grip of a handshake.

Something tells us Macron isn’t going to enjoy this meeting very much 😂 pic.twitter.com/RKybTZuvgp

— Media Research Center (@theMRC) February 24, 2025

The interaction begins with Trump and Macron shaking hands, before Trump pats down his French counterpart as if he were his younger brother, or Eric, or Don Jr.

There then appears to be an odd jostle as the two men shook hands, with Macron seemingly taking the first step back, before Trump re-asserted the grip on the handshake.

The two men, still holding hands, eventually settled into a stone-faced photo op.

Now, if this were an isolated incident, this is probably much ado about nothing. After all, who hasn’t had an awkward handshake before?

But as reporter Collin Rugg noted on X, this isn’t exactly the first time Trump and Macron have had a subtle — but firm — handshake incident.

The Trump and Macron handshake battle has received yet another update.

We are 8 years in. pic.twitter.com/Wf1V4J8MBI

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 24, 2025

As Rugg notes, “[w]e are 8 years” into this growing display of public rivalry.

Macron’s visit comes as both Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance have ratcheted up both real and rhetorical pressure on Europe over a number of topics.

Issues such as unfair trade deficits, matters of free speech, and, oh yes, the Ukraine-Russia war have all been hot topics that neither the president nor his second-in-command have been afraid to tackle.

If Europe is sending Macron to try and strong arm Trump into more sympathetic stances, this viral handshake is a fascinating microcosm of what the two will undoubtedly discuss behind closed doors.

Did Trump “win” this proverbial test of strength on Monday? This writer would say that the 45th and 47th President of the United States got the best of this particular duel.

In fairness, the ultimate decision largely appears to be up for personal interpretation, but it’s clear, at the very least, that Macron is playing Trump’s game.

This is the sort of politics that Trump has ushered in, and the other world leaders — whether they like it or not — are going to have to get used to it.

Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.