Emmanuel Macron holds on to Melania in a 'lingering handshake' at NATO meet, unlike the power grip he shared with Trump
The day started with POTUS Donald Trump furiously accusing Emmanuel Macron and ended with the French President staring deep into the eyes of the first lady, Melania Trump.
Macron's two-handed grip of Melania's hand took place on a famous darkened London street. Macron, 41, warmly shook the hand of the first lady, 49, while her husband looked on during the greeting. The handshake was much gentler than the 25-second long handshake that Macron had shared with Trump during their 2018 meeting.
The US president had landed in London last night in order to attend the 70th-anniversary summit with world chiefs. Trump had met the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, for an afternoon tea at Clarence House before the NATO reception with the Queen. Trump and Melania were greeted by Prince Charles and Camilla at the entrance.
The couples were seen posing for pictures together before they headed inside. Trump had some tough talk for the French President, Emmanuel Macron, at the start of a summit. While speaking at a press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Trump jumped to respond to Macron's recent comments that NATO was 'brain dead' and countries could not bank on the US coming to their aid.
POTUS warned that he has some plans to put additional taxes on France as a response to European Union Tariffs. "They have to shape up otherwise things are going to get very tough. Nobody needs us more than France. That’s why I think when France makes a statement like they did about NATO, that’s a very dangerous statement for them to make," he shared.
These comments show the rising tensions in the once-successful alliance which have become rather strained in recent years. The alliance had first been formed in 1949 based on obstructing the Soviet Union via a collective defense.