15.10.2025 12:41
During the Gaza Summit in Egypt, the handshake between Macron and Trump, which turned into a sort of arm wrestling for 30 seconds, was deciphered through lip reading. The British press claimed that the two leaders were arguing. It was suggested that Trump threatened Macron by saying, "I only hurt those who hurt me," to which Macron responded with, "We'll see," and Trump allegedly replied, "We'll talk soon."
During the international summit held in Egypt to discuss the future of Gaza, the 30-second handshake between U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron turned into a kind of arm wrestling. Moments when Macron tried to escape Trump's grip were captured on camera.
"ARE YOU REALLY SINCERE?"
Speaking to the Daily Mail, lip-reading expert Nicola Hickling noted that the two leaders had a short but tense dialogue on stage. According to Hickling, Trump said to Macron, "It's nice to see you, isn't it?" to which the French leader responded with an inaudible reply. It was reported that Macron answered Trump's question, "Are you really sincere?" with "Of course."
"YOU HURT ME"
The U.S. President then grips Macron's palm tighter and says, "Well, now I want to know why you hurt me. You hurt me. I know that..."
Immediately after, Trump shakes Macron's hand once more; the French president bows his head and looks away in front of the cameras.
Speaking slowly and clearly, Trump says, "I am making peace." Macron, however, mocks Trump by saying, "Come on."
"I WANT TO SEE WHAT YOU'LL DO"
However, Trump threatens Macron by saying, "I only hurt those who hurt me." Finally, when Macron says, "We will see about that," Trump responds, "I want to see what you’ll do, go ahead. We’ll see each other soon."
It is unknown what topic the two leaders were discussing during this exchange.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME
The public relationship between Trump and Macron has drawn attention for years. Their 29-second handshake during their meetings in 2017 was talked about for a long time. At the 2018 G7 Summit, it was observed that the imprint of Macron's thumb remained on Trump's hand during a 26-second handshake, an event that was referred to as "the longest diplomatic handshake."