US President Donald Trump ignored repeated media prompts to shake hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during their meeting in the Oval Office.
Trump greeted Merkel with a handshake outside the building, but during their Oval Office photocall, apparently ignored the calls of the pool of reporters to shake the German leader’s hand.
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The rebuff even drew an amused expression from the chancellor.
AP footage of the leaders’ encounter inside the Oval Office captures someone off-screen repeatedly calling out “Handshake!” amid the clicking of cameras.
Although Merkel looks to Trump a number of times during the photo call, the president doesn’t budge.
The pair later held a joint briefing discussing NATO, immigration, and free trade. At one point, Trump joked about his accusations that his predecessor ‘wiretapped’ Trump Tower, saying that he and Merkel, who was the target of NSA spying under Obama, “at least have something in common”.
Trump later posted a photo of himself and the chancellor shaking hands during the press conference on his Facebook page.
Trump’s awkward Oval Office handshake evasion drew a mix of amusement and exasperation online.