Trump's unusual handshakes in his first year in office

1. Mr. Trump's purple handshake with the French President

Before the NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium, US President Donald Trump and new French President Macron met and had a "purple handshake" that received a lot of attention from the international press. The two leaders looked straight into each other's eyes, perhaps trying to exert strength while shaking hands very firmly, long before US President Donald Trump was the one who seemed to withdraw his hand first.

2. President Trump's "strange" handshake with the Japanese Prime Minister

The bizarre handshake between US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after their meeting at the White House on February 10, 2017 has gone viral on social media. They shook hands for 19 seconds and President Trump was seen patting the Japanese leader's hand at least twice and then pulling him towards him. After the handshake ended, Trump suddenly let go, leaving Prime Minister Abe alone with an expressive face afterwards.

3. The 5-second handshake between Trump and Xi Jinping

The handshake between the two US and Chinese leaders went smoothly, unlike the 19-second handshake with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe or the sloppy handshake with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Liu Zhen assessed. “Trump did a standard handshake with Xi.”

4. The awkward handshake between Trump and Obama

Instead of smiling warmly and cheerfully in public, both Mr. Obama and Mr. Trump seemed awkward. Perhaps the long-standing criticism between the two men made it difficult for them to warm up immediately. The awkward expressions of Mr. Trump and Mr. Obama when shaking hands.

5. Mr. Trump shakes hands ASEAN style

US President Donald Trump appeared to fumble with the ASEAN handshake during a photo session with leaders attending the ASEAN summit in the Philippines. He eventually shook hands properly.

6. Trump and Putin's happy handshake in Vietnam

US President Donald Trump proactively approached, shook hands, chatted and stood next to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the photo platform at the official welcoming ceremony of the 18th APEC Summit in Da Nang (Vietnam).

7. Trump and Putin's confusing handshake

On the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg (Germany), Mr. Trump proactively extended his hand with his palm facing up, implicitly allowing Mr. Putin to shake his hand with the upper hand. From this handshake, it can be seen which country has the upper hand in the US-Russia relationship. The fact that Mr. Trump was the one to initiate the handshake with his hand facing down, it can be understood that he allowed Mr. Putin to have the upper hand in the conversation.

8. The reassuring handshake of the British Prime Minister

Image of Mr. Trump meeting British Prime Minister Theresa May. While walking along the colonnade of the White House, the US President patted her hand in a reassuring manner while talking. People commented that the British politician tried very hard to hide her surprise.

9. Ignoring German Chancellor Merkel's offer to shake hands

During the meeting in the Oval Office between President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the press witnessed the new US President's "super weird" handshake. Mr. Trump ignored Ms. Angela Merkel, even when she spoke up to ask, he still acted like he didn't hear.

10. Handshake with Neil Gorsuch - US Supreme Court Justice

Mr. Trump’s impressive handshake was during a meeting with Neil Gorsuch, a nominee for the US Supreme Court. On January 31, 2017, Mr. Trump officially nominated Mr. Gorsuch to fill the vacant position on the Supreme Court. After the speech, the two men shook hands warmly.

11. A brief handshake with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Mr. Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 15, 2017. The handshake between the US President and the leader of the Jewish state lasted only a few seconds, but the act of pulling his partner toward him showed that Mr. Trump wanted to show his power, Wood commented.

12. Meeting the Emperor of Japan, President Trump shook hands simply

US President Donald Trump met the Emperor and Empress of Japan at the Imperial Palace. However, he only shook hands and did not bow to the Emperor like former President Barack Obama did eight years ago.