Donald Trump Refuses to Let Go of French First Lady Brigitte Macron During Long, Awkward Handshake: Watch

President Donald Trump engaged in a prolonged, "tug-of-war" style handshake with French First Lady Brigitte Macron.

The encounter occurred on Monday, June 15, during the official greeting ceremony at the 52nd G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France.

The interaction quickly went viral online due to its physical assertiveness and the tense personal backdrop between the leaders.

While Trump has a long history of competitive, high-profile handshakes with French President Emmanuel Macron, this was the first time he extended the physical display to the French first lady.

In the footage, Donald exchanged a brief, firm handshake with the French president before holding an extended 13-to-15-second embrace with Brigitte, who maintained a composed smile throughout the exchange before moving on to greet other attending world leaders.

Mediaite reported, “In the video clip, after nearly fifteen seconds of shaking her hand, the POTUS appears to let go. Brigitte Macron hesitates for a moment, almost as if unsure if the handshake is truly over, before moving her hand away and placing it on her handbag.”

One online observer noted, "It like she was trying to pull away several times, but he wasn't letting go.”

The interaction drew heightened attention because it occurred just months after the U.S. president made highly critical public remarks regarding the Macrons' marriage.

At a private event in April, while criticizing France for its foreign policy stance on Iran, Donald publicly claimed Brigitte treated her husband "extremely badly.”

Donald's comments referenced a 2025 video clip from an official trip to Asia. In the footage, the first lady appeared to push or nudg her husband's face as they departed their presidential aircraft. The businessman joked about the incident, stating Emmanuel was "still recovering from the right to the jaw.”

President Macron later dismissed the Republican's remarks, chiding the POTUS and calling them "neither elegant nor up to standard," stating they did not merit a formal response.

The personal friction mirrored larger political strain at the summit. World leaders gathered amid severe disagreements over trade, NATO commitments and Washington's escalating rhetoric about potential tariffs on Greenland.

Tensions between Donald and the French president have significantly escalated during Donald's second term, culminating in what President Macron publicly described as a "difficult" bilateral meeting at the June 2026 G7 Summit in Evian, France.

While the two leaders initially shared a highly synchronized "bromance" during Donald's first term, their relationship has deteriorated into public sparring over trade tariffs, security alliances and personal insults.

A primary source of friction has been Europe's reluctance to join the U.S.-led military campaign against Iran.

The POTUS publicly mocked European allies as "free riders" and openly criticized Emmanuel for refusing to send French naval forces to the Gulf.

During their G7 discussions, President Macron publicly corrected President Trump after the 80-year-old incorrectly suggested Europe would recover the funds it provided to support Ukraine. Emmanuel directly pushed back, stating, "We provided real money.”

The underlying strain was captured visually at the Evian summit.

Body language experts highlighted an aggressive, competitive handshake between the two during their June 15 meeting, noting it resembled a literal "battle for dominance" and control.