So you’re in a meeting with arguably the most powerful leader in Europe. It’s you, President Donald Trump, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. There are cameras and people all around you. And then a reporter calls out to the two world leaders, “Can we get a handshake?” Pretty standard photo op stuff, you’d think. And what did our dear leader President Trump do?
Nothing.
That’s right. He just sat there like a stone, pretending he didn’t hear the question. So Angela, being the classy lady she is, decided to help Donald and the poor reporter out. “Do you want a handshake?” she repeated, hoping that her American counterpart got the point this time. He didn’t.
Seriously. Watch the awkwardness here:
Photographers: Can we get a handshake?
Merkel (to Trump): Do you want to have a handshake?
Trump: *no response*
Merkel: *makes awkward face* pic.twitter.com/ehgpCnWPg7— David Mack (@davidmackau) March 17, 2017
Wow.
Trump hasn’t exactly been gracious to Merkel before this, either. There was that August rally in Virginia where he said:
“You watch what happens to Angela Merkel, who I always thought of as a very good leader until she did this. I don’t know what went wrong with her. What went wrong? Angela, what happened?”
Nothing went wrong, Donald. She’s a strong leader with an actual human heart and soul, not an embarrassment to her country like you are.
Mr. Trump should have treated this meeting very seriously as a way to open a good line of communication with one of our strongest allies, both political and economic. German officials reported that Merkel prepared diligently for her encounter with Trump, eager to discuss issues like the European Union, NATO, and Vladimir Putin.
Donald Trump probably just picked his nose and called it a day.
What’s the issue, Donald? You had no problem holding British Prime Minister Theresa May’s hand when she visited. And I guarantee you that it’s just as important to be on the same page with the Germans as with the English.
This is a pattern with Donald. Don’t believe me? The Guardian did a piece discussing Trump’s inability to perform a simple, routine handshake in a normal way. And there are several video montages of his repeated ineptitude:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gFOTGmflEU
If you want to play power games with the big guys, take a look in the mirror first.
Featured image from Twitter.
