Lip reader decodes Trump’s five-word threat to Macron in gripping handshake | US | News
President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to be having a private conversation. verbal war During a tense, shaky handshake at a summit in Egypt on Monday aimed at ending IsraelHamas conflict.
The two leaders have had an apparently rocky relationship over the years, marked by moments of friendship. hostile interactions. The latest incident occurred as Macron joined other nations in recognizing the state of Palestine; it was a move that Trump described as a reward. HamasTerrorist attack on October 7, 2023.
In Sharm El Sheikh on Monday, Trump and Macron held hands for almost half a minute as if vying for physical dominance during a photo op. A professional lip reader who observed the interaction suggested the pair may have been speaking in a subtle way. threats and accusations before agreeing to continue their discussion in private.
“Nice to see you, so you accept?” According to lip reader Nicola Hickling, Trump asked Macron this question as he joined him on the summit stage. Macron responded as he turned away from the camera.
“Is it real?” Trump seemed to ask. “Of course,” Macron replied.
Trump appeared to say, “Okay, now I want to know why. You hurt me. I already know.” “I make peace.”
According to Hickling, Macron touched Trump’s hand and looked at him, saying “Excuse me.”
Trump appeared to ignore his request and tightened Macron’s hand.
Macron said, “Let’s handle this behind closed doors.” “I just hurt the other one,” Trump responded.
“I understand. We will have to see; you will see what happens,” Macron warned.
“I would like to see you do that,” Trump responded. “Do it. See you in a bit.”
The onstage photo op was part of a summit hosted by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, with the aim of “ending the war in the Gaza Strip, increasing efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and ushering in a new era of regional security and stability,” according to the Egyptian presidency.
20 world leaders attended the meeting, including the presidents of Qatar, Palestine, Turkey, Spain, England, Italy, Norway, as well as representatives of the United Nations and the Council of Europe.
Particularly missing from the summit were Israeli officials and Hamas representatives.
Hickling noted that Monday’s tense meeting between Macron and Trump continued a long history of theatrical diplomacy, calling it a “power play by touch.”
“Repeatedly extended, tight grips between these two have a clear history as theatrical diplomacy. The squeeze here (Trump shaking Macron’s hand while speaking) reads as an attempt to physically dominate the interaction in a conciliatory/accusatory tone,” he wrote in an email to The Daily Express US. “This reflects the documented public handshake tussles between the pair.”
According to Hickling, Macron appeared to have opted to de-escalate tensions to avoid the handshake.
“Touching the hand, looking down, and then turning away are classic appeasement/de-escalation movements and an attempt to distance oneself from physical dominance,” he explained.
Hickling noted an inconsistency between Trump’s verbal message and his body language. Although he appeared to tell Macron that he was “making peace”, he denied this sentiment by tightening his tone even further.
“This incompatibility raises the possibility that this is a theater of friendship mixed with a clear assertion of control,” he said.
Specific details of Monday’s dispute were not immediately clear, but it comes on the heels of a clash between the two leaders last month over recognition of the Palestinian state.
“I think it honors Hamas, and you can’t do that because of October 7th. You can’t do that,” Trump told reporters in September in response to the announcement that France supported Palestine. The number of countries worldwide defending the state of Palestine has exceeded 145; The USA is one of the few countries that resist.
“Nobody forgets October 7, but what was the outcome after almost two years of war?” Macron responded. “This is not the right way to proceed.
“There’s one person who can do something about this [the war in Gaza]Speaking to France’s BFMTV channel, Macron said, “And the reason he can do more than us is because we do not supply the weapons that will allow the war in Gaza to continue.” We do not supply the equipment that will enable war in Gaza. The United States is doing this.”
