Donald Trump is known for his long, at times aggressive handshakes with the world leader. His handshakes have been under much scrutiny.
At the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the Philippines on Monday, the 13th of November, he struggled briefly with a different kind of handshake. Trump was all thumbs and fingers during the well-choreographed ceremonial handshake.
The US president, in Manila, attended the opening ceremonies of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations conference, which began with pageantry and a group photo of the leaders.
Then, the announcer intoned that it was time for the leaders to take part in the “traditional” ASEAN handshake. It’s a cross-body exercise, during which each leader extends their right arm over their left and shakes the opposite hands of those next to him.
While leaders crossed their arms to join hands with leaders next to them, Donald Trump awkwardly grabbed the hand of Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang with both hands. With the US President briefly breaking the symbolic handshake, supposed to denote unity, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte stood around awkwardly with a spare hand.
After an awkward few seconds, Trump appeared to recognize his error and made the link between Nguyen and Duterte, but not before the unflattering images made it to Twitter.
He was seen grimacing before flashing a smile.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev, on the other hand, did not cross his arms but the chain of leaders remained intact.
Trump is on the final leg of a tour of Asia that has taken in Japan, South Korea, China, and Vietnam.
The famously bullish former businessman has largely avoided the kind of protocol pitfalls that can ensnare even the most careful traveler in this often formal part of the world.
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