Trump Snubs Angela Merkel’s Request For Handshake During Photo Op

The United States President Donald Trump has never shied away from a handshake when it comes to greeting international leaders, and the “death-grip” memes galore are proof to that. However, German Chancellor Angela Merkel had a sticky moment with the President as, besides not shaking her hand, he barely even made eye contact with her during the customary photo op.

In a photo op after their Oval Office meeting, the two leaders sat next to each other in separate chairs. Merkel could be seen leaning towards Trump, who sat with his hands firmly locked between his knees, a very 'un-Trump' like gesture.

Merkel then appeared to ask the President if he wanted to shake hands, which is customary in photo ops, but Trump simply did not respond. He barely even looked at his German counterpart while quickly answering a few questions from the press.

By contrast, the President did shake hands with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe when they recently visited him in the Oval Office, which incidentally did provide great fodder to memesters.

Trump’s tensed body-language during the photo op and his refusal to shake hands with Merkel has drawn criticism from several quarters across the globe.

During his campaign trail, Trump had bashed Merkel. He had also insulted her in his public comments, criticising her decision to allow hundreds of thousands of refugees to enter Germany.

With Inputs From ANI.