Trump's awkward 15-second handshake with Brigitte Macron at G7 summit goes viral

 U.S. President Donald Trump held French First Lady Brigitte Macron's hand for a seemingly awkward 15 seconds upon arriving at the annual G7 Summit in France on Monday.

Trump made his way to France for the annual Group of Seven summit on Monday, where he is scheduled to engage with global leaders on pressing international issues. The gathering follows a landmark deal between the U.S. and Iran to bring an end to the nearly four-month conflict in the Middle East, a development that has triggered both political concerns and economic uncertainty across the globe.

Joining his six fellow G7 counterparts-Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom-Trump arrives having previously clashed publicly with several of them or engaged in tense exchanges.

According to The Associated Press, the three-day summit agenda is expected to cover the new Iran peace agreement, Chinese trade policy and Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.

Sources emerging from Washington indicate that Trump may have arrived in a less-than-favorable mood, following opposition from fellow G7 leaders over the Iran conflict and their refusal to back his initial proposal to forcibly reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Video footage captured Trump approaching French President Emmanuel Macron and the First Lady upon his arrival. He first greeted Emmanuel with a firm, dominant handshake, before turning to Brigitte, offering two kisses on each cheek, and proceeding to hold and shake her hand throughout their brief exchange.

Her husband then placed his left arm on Trump's back before they ended the approximately 15-second handshake. Upon pulling away, Brigitte suddenly stopped her movement and seemed to show a look of unease on her face.

Journalist Aaron Rupar characterized the moment as Trump giving "his weird handshake tug of war with Brigitte Macron" in a viral X post, where he shared footage of the uncomfortable exchange.

Trump faced significant criticism online for what seemed to be an awkward situation between him and Brigitte.

"Trump being aggressive with a woman? Imagine my shock," one X user responded to Rupar.

"That's why his hand is bruised. Women trying to get away," another X user claimed.

A third X user quipped, "Brigitte trying desperately to stop his makeup soaked hand from ruining her white suit.

"So cringe! She could not wait to get away," another X user noted.

Trump also drew criticism for a separate handshake with Macron during their bilateral meeting on Monday, which was characterized as "a limp and feeble-looking handshake."

"There it is, we saw President Trump firmly grip the hand of Emmanuel Macron there, and a little bit of a pull back there from Macron. Been a bit of a battle going back to 2017," Fox News host and former Trump Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany remarked about the handshake during live coverage.