It is a well known fact that US 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.
