On Friday, President Trump met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, and the resultant handshake, in which Trump seemingly would not let go of Abe’s hand, yanking him back several times, caused Abe to display his discomfort in a rather obvious way:
Abe, who clearly looked as uncomfortable as a nun at an orgy, or any woman within three feet of Joe Biden, managed to keep smiling until he was finally released. Trump, either unconscious of or indifferent to the rather dispirited reaction of Abe, still posted a tweet of the exchange on his Twitter feed.
The handshake brought to mind another rather awkward handshake between President Obama and Cuban dictator Raul Castro.
After the meeting, Trump boasted that he and Abe have “developed a great friendship . . . When I greeted him today at the car, I was saying – I shook hands, but I grabbed him and hugged him because that’s the way we feel. We have a very, very good bond. Very, very good chemistry. I’ll let you know if it changes, but I don’t think it will.”
There was reaction on Twitter:
UPDATE: We now know what Trump and Abe said to one another during the lingering handshake. Here’s the transcript:
Trump and Abe stare awkwardly at the cameras.
Abe: Shall we shake hands?
They shake hands for the cameras for 73 years.
Trump: What are they saying?
Abe: “Please look at me.”
Trump grins wide and stares at Abe.
After another interminable period, Trump finally releases Abe.
Trump: Strong hands.