Donald Trump's Most Awkward Handshakes That Were Caught On Camera

Ever since Donald Trump entered the political fray, we have witnessed the art of the Trump handshake. It's sustained. uncomfortable, and incredibly awkward, often leaving those on the receiving end carefully flexing their fingers afterward, making sure their hands are still in working order. Over the years, other world leaders seem to have learned from their first Trump handshake and have since started returning it in full. At least, that's what the bruising on the president's right hand, which made headlines in 2025, suggests. Trump's bruised-up hand caused quite the stir and raised questions about his health, but the White House physician quickly tried to put a lid on it, saying the bruise was "minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking," exacerbated by Trump's aspirin use (via USA Today).

Body language experts have long analyzed the Trump handshake, with Tonya Reiman telling the Daily Mail that she likes to call it the "Trump Pump," explaining, "The purpose is to assert dominance and power quickly through a physical gesture." Body language expert Patti Wood agreed, dubbing the president's handshake the "death clasp." She noted that, ironically, Trump used to be averse to handshakes, not only because he's a germaphobe, but because he believed not shaking someone's hand established him as their superior. This only changed when he first ran for president.

Former FBI agent turned author Joe Navarro told The Guardian in February 2025 that the president's crushing handshakes are just another one of Trump's outdated habits. "It reminds me of some of the garbage that was being peddled about establishing dominance in the 1980s," Navarro said. "There is nothing either empirical or scientific that says that playing hand jiu-jitsu makes the other person respect you more." Trump will surely keep trying, no matter how awkward it gets.

It might be safe to assume that chances of Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama ever sharing a non-awkward handshake is zero to none. The first handshake between the two made headlines. It occurred in November 2016 shortly after Trump won the election. It was short, and it was uncomfortable to watch. Obama initiated the handshake and attempted to look Trump in the eye, but the latter opted to stare at Obama's tie instead. It was the first time the two met in person. Trump barely cracked a smile and Obama seemed to try his best to put up an amicable front.

The handshake was all the more awkward because, for the first time, Trump came face-to-face with the man he accused of not being an American citizen and therefore not a viable president. Trump's claims had no merit, but he refused to publicly admit so. During a September 2016 interview with The Washington Post, the divisive politician was asked whether he still believed the false claim that Obama was not born in the U.S. "I'll answer that question at the right time. I just don't want to answer it yet," Trump said. A subsequent statement from the Trump campaign asserted that Trump does believe Obama to be a U.S. citizen.

Obama joked about the whole affair while attending the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation that September, telling the audience, "There's an extra spring in my step tonight. I don't know about you guys, but I am so relieved that the whole birther thing is over. I mean, ISIL, North Korea, poverty, climate change, none of those things weighed on my mind like the validity of my birth certificate" (via NPR).

The French might have a reputation for being romantic, but that doesn't mean their president wants to have sustained physical contact with the American president. Donald Trump seemed to think otherwise. During a 2017 meeting with Emmanuel Macron, Trump took hold of the French president's hand and held on for dear life in an awkward handshake that lasted a whopping 29 seconds. Macron appeared uncomfortable, flabbergasted, and perhaps, at some point, even terrified that Trump might never let go.

The moment made headlines: Macron and Trump were walking hand in hand, their wives awkwardly following at their side. In what appeared to be an attempt to let go of Trump's hand, Macron pointed at something, Trump refused to yield, and the French president found himself momentarily balancing on one leg as he tried to regain his balance, bumping into Trump's shoulder, with the latter still holding firm. Then came the moment that had many pundits in stitches: Macron's wife, Brigitte Macron, seemingly attempted to come to her husband's rescue. Alas, Trump kissed her on each cheek and grabbed her hand, all the while still holding firmly on to Macron's. Melania Trump, the only one not subjected to any physical contact, looked on awkwardly. Trump let go of Briggitte's hand before he released Macron, who hid the relief he surely must have felt.

Of all the awkward Donald Trump moments that have been caught on camera, the president's 19-second handshake with former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe surely makes the top 10. The two leaders were photographed in the Oval Office during Abe's 2017 visit to the White House, and after one photographer asked them to shake hands, Trump did so with plenty of enthusiasm. While Abe seemed to share that enthusiasm at first, he clearly felt differently a few uncomfortable seconds in as Trump refused to relax his grip.

When the president did finally let go, Abe, unlike Emmanuel Macron, failed to hide his relief. He appeared to make haste to move himself as far away from Trump as humanly possible without actually climbing out of his chair. He also appeared to briefly roll his eyes. Trump complimented the PM on his "strong hands," and the rest of their meeting proceeded amicably. However, that 19-second handshake wasn't the first awkward encounter between the two leaders that day. When they first met at the West Wing entrance, the two men hugged, with Abe going in for a second round, which Trump was seemingly unprepared for.

Trump is known for putting his insecurities on blast and commented on the hug during a news conference, telling reporters, "I shook hands, but I grabbed him and hugged him because that's the way we feel." He added that he and the Japanese PM have "very, very good chemistry" (via Politico). Abe made sure to boost Trump's ego as well, praising him for landing the presidency despite having no prior political experience and admitting he was likely to lose the game of golf he and Trump were set to play later on.

Donald Trump and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have thrown some shady digs at each other, and the latter seemed to get one over on Trump when the two met in 2017, resulting in yet another awkward handshake — for Trump, at least.

Trudeau proved a worthy adversary as he took hold of Trump's outstretched hand and then proceeded to place his free hand on the president's shoulder, firmly establishing his dominance and preventing Trump from executing his famous inward pull that often leaves his guests frantically trying to find their footing. Trudeau was steady and measured, and Trump, holding on to the PM's hand for longer than necessary per usual, let go much faster than anyone probably expected. The moment Trump let go of his hand, Trudeau turned to look at his surroundings, beaming in what we have to assume was a smile of quiet victory.

President Trump welcomes Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the White House. https://t.co/n7TqA3VDnW pic.twitter.com/5TcpyDfZx5

— ABC News (@ABC) February 13, 2017

Users on X quickly applauded Trudeau's conduct. "THE STRENGTH of the Trudeau's HANDSHAKE. What a MAN, he avoids the #TrumpJerk w/ pure maple leaf strength. Strong leader," one penned. Another added, "I think Donald's little hand just got the 'I don't think so' hand shake." Someone else wrote, "You can tell Trump tried that bonkers handshake maneuver, but Trudeau was ready and having none of it."

Donald Trump might be insecure about the size of his hands, but there's another body part that might fall a little short — his arms. While Trump attended the 2017 ASEAN summit in the Philippines, he found himself having to participate in a cross-body handshake, and his arms appeared a tad too short for the exercise. To his credit, the problem might have been that he was much taller than the two men standing next to him.

It didn't help that Trump appeared very confused about how to perform the task of crossing his arms in front of him. The president momentarily simply crossed his hands, realized that this was not what the others were doing, and then simply extended his arms to the side, which also wasn't it. Finally, after doing a more thorough inspection of his peers, Trump managed to cross his arms. As the two men next to him took hold of his hands, Trump appeared to experience some discomfort (this isn't a move you see in golf, after all), but he quickly turned his grimace into a smile.

Headlines quickly pointed out the blunder, and we imagine Trump didn't exactly leave the summit with his ego intact.

In early 2017, Donald Trump praised former FBI Director James Comey, saying he'd "become more famous than me" (via ABC News), but 2025 saw the president securing the former director's indictment. This turn of events makes a handshake the two shared all the more awkward.

Trump called Comey forward during a First Responders ceremony at the White House on January 23, 2017. Comey, who is much taller than the president, looked a lot less enthusiastic about the meeting compared to Trump. The latter took hold of Comey's hand and, despite being a head shorter than the FBI director, pulled Comey in for a quick hug, which Comey didn't return. It was awkward at best. In May that year, journalist Benjamin Wittes, a friend of Comey's, told PBS NewsHour that the former FBI director was none too pleased with Trump's conduct that day.

"Comey was just completely disgusted by the episode," Wittes disclosed. "He thought it was an intentional attempt to compromise him in public, in a way that would sow and emphasize concerns that half of the electorate had about him and the bureau."

Thanks to all the awkward handshakes Donald Trump racked up over the span of his first term, one cannot blame pundits for believing that he fist bumped Queen Elizabeth II during his 2019 State visit to the U.K. The moment made headlines, with snaps of the president and monarch's handshake seemingly showing Trump giving Her Majesty a fist bump instead of his signature bone-crushing handshake. The encounter set tongues wagging, but actual footage of the much-talked-about moment showed that the president did indeed shake the queen's hand — it just wasn't your typical flat-handed shake.

Trump, of course, technically broke royal protocol by shaking the queen's hand instead of bowing his head in greeting, but this rule has become more flexible over the years. Majesty magazine's managing editor Joe Little confirmed to NBC News at the time that while the awkward handshake might have looked like a fist bump, it most definitely was not. He also complimented Trump on following at least one royal protocol — he didn't extend his hand first and let the queen initiate the handshake.

There's no love lost between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, and the tension between the two was clear as day during their first (and only) presidential debate. Harris gave Trump's ego a few knocks while they sparred on stage, but Trump's viral handshake moment with Harris was what really got people talking.

Harris clearly meant business from the moment she stepped onto the stage, swiftly moving towards Trump, who seemed to have no intention of shaking her hand, much like he and former President Joe Biden refused to make any physical contact ahead of their debate in June 2024. Harris remained undeterred in the face of Trump's aloofness, moving over to him to shake his hand. The debate didn't have a live audience, and there was an eerie silence as Harris practically forced Trump into a handshake. This was, possibly, one of Trump's shortest handshakes on record. But what it lacked in length, it made up for in cringiness.

Harris was praised for her debate performance, and not only because she effectively asserted dominance with that awkward handshake, but because she managed to goad Trump and attack his ego without breaking a sweat. The president took the bait every time, and many pundits ultimately agreed that Trump's debate behavior with Harris proved his confidence had crumbled since the Biden bloodbath some months earlier.

When Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met for the first time in September 2024, it was away from prying eyes. Their meeting at the White House in February 2025, however, is well documented.

🚨BREAKING: President Trump welcomes British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House.
pic.twitter.com/LEykeyMGvG

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 27, 2025

Trump appeared to be squeezing the life out of Starmer's hand while the latter appeared to try and hide his discomfort. He received the famous pat on the shoulder from Trump, laughed awkwardly, and appeared to discreetly flex his fingers once the president released him from his death grip. Starmer proceeded to fidget with his right sleeve in what may or may not have been an attempt to ensure his right hand was still attached to his body. Pundits on X quickly noticed, with one pointing out, "That was a grade A Trump handshake right there. Watch Starmer fight the urge to check if it's broken after they finally let go."

Starmer was also christened with the famous Trump hand pat during a subsequent press conference. The U.S. president once again had Starmer in a firm grip, patting the back of his hand lightly before letting him go. This time around, however, Starmer managed to pat Trump's shoulder in a show of camaraderie as well.

Donald Trump has made some comments that seemingly prove his bromance with Russian President Vladimir Putin is stronger than it ever was with Elon Musk. The treatment the Russian president received during his August 2025 U.S. visit sure seemed proof enough. After all, Trump literally rolled out the red carpet and stood clapping for Putin as he deplaned. It was hilarious and cringe-worthy, and the handshake that followed was no different.

Trump's eagerness to shake hands with the Russian leader was evident. He stood awkwardly reaching out with his right hand for a few seconds before Putin was finally within arm's length. The Russian leader then walked the last few steps with his hand outstretched and the two finally engaged in a lengthy handshake, though it didn't come close to rivaling that 2017 handshake with Emmanuel Macron. Trump patted Putin on the arm, the latter returned the gesture, and the two stopped short of holding hands while walking down the red carpet.

Body language expert Beth Dawson told the New York Post that, interestingly, Putin allowed Trump to execute his famous pull-in gesture during the handshake. "We see Trump pulling Vladimir Putin into his personal space. And what we actually see is Vladimir Putin quite happy to let him do that ... So we're seeing some genuine connection here between the two men," Dawson noted. Of course, that connection appeared to be of little help during their subsequent meeting to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

If ever there was a handshake that was as awkward as it was funny, it's the one Donald Trump shared with his wife, Melania Trump, in September 2018. The president had just finished a speech and proceeded to make his way to his wife, who was standing on stage with him along with other officials, and shook her hand. He proceeded to kiss Melania on the cheek, holding the handshake a moment longer.

Hilariously, this wasn't the first time this strange interaction between Trump and his wife occurred. In September 2017, Melania introduced her husband at an event, and as he made his way over to his wife, Trump shook Melania's hand exactly like he would someone paying him a visit in the Oval Office. There was no peck on the cheek during this awkward encounter. Melania maintained an uncomfortable smile until her husband sent her on her merry way off the stage.

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

The moment made headlines, with the hosts of "The View" discussing the awkward moment at length. Host Joy Behar joked, "I've had warmer interactions with Bill O'Reilly!" Her co-host Sunny Hostin noted, "I don't think I have ever had a handshake with my husband." Neither have most people, probably.