The first official meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump was never going to be full of balloons, party pies and karaoke.
Merkel, prominent for her pro-immigration stance and condemnations of Trump’s anti-immigration policies, visited the White House on Friday. The meeting was as awkward as only this kind of meeting could be, when you’re forced to come face-to-face with someone you’ve publicly blasted, all the while smiling in front of prying eyes and intrusive photographers.
The dream.
Alas, Trump wasn’t full of civilities on this occasion, as captured on camera refusing to shake Merkel’s hand despite requests from photographers to do exactly that.
It’s the kind of footage that makes you involuntarily pull this kind of face.
See it for yourself:
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
Some have tried to analyse it, more have done their best to draw meaning from the exchange.
Meanwhile, I’m still playing it over and over, every time watching it through my fingers.
What do you think of Trump refusing to shake Merkel’s hand?
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It's embarrassing to watch - the POTUS is a petulant teenager. Humans everywhere deserve more.
Would you lend them Shorten or Turnbull to boost inspiring leadership and governance?
I know Impeachment doesn't mean a new election, but I still believe both are needed.
"President Pence" ?....that gives me the absolute horrors.
Pence is a religious zealot and he could be even more dangerous than Trump.
This isn't about a Republican being in The White House - it's about Trump being elected to a job he's unqualified to handle.
John McCain, Mitt Romney, Bernie Sanders - whatever.......but not Trump.
BTW.........there's a commentator named Robert Reich who's stats & facts are pretty interesting. His background is solid and his occasional "chats" on FB are worth a listen.
The sobering lesson for Australia is.............WATCH AMERICA - Don't make the same mistakes.
Lol, the choice was between Clinton and Trump. It might have been with Bernie had Clinton not cheated him, but anyway, given that choice the best candidate won.
At some point people are going to just have to accept Trump won.
How do you teckon Bernie wouldve gone Les.I reckon hed have been a better candidate than Hilary Clinton
I think it would have been hard for Trump to recover from Access Hollywood because he couldn't switch to attacking Bill. Also there would be no FBI email investigation. Those leaked emails wouldn't have spoken about Clinton as much as Bernie, we don't know what would have been said about him in that alternate reality.
I think Trump would have done better in debates against him, because Bernie ran on a Free Everything no details platform. Bernie may have won with an increase in getting out the vote. It's not that Trump got particularly more votes than Romney in the end, it's more 6 million Dems didn't turn up compared to Obama 2012, particularly black Women and white males.