Handshake hysteria has again gripped the attention of the national media. President Trump greeted French President Emmanuel Macron with a nine-second handshake then dropped an awkward handclasp-hug combo on the mature first lady of France.
The whole thing was really weird and the responses completely predictable. Plenty of critics complain that the leader of the free world should be able to give an appropriate physical greeting. And honestly, they’re sort of right. A proper handshake should be a prerequisite to the presidency.
That’s not just my opinion. It’s science. Peer-reviewed studies published in places like the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience prove that a firm and friendly handshake solidifies that first impression which matters so much in both business and politics.
While it’s not clear how Trump comes across in person, his current handshake method certainly looks uncomfortable. The president grabs the hands of heads of state with a Kung Fu grip then jerks their arms toward him. This technique, not only risks dislocated shoulders, it also threatens an international incident. Seriously.
Diplomacy is a delicate business, and giving world leaders any reason to hold a grudge, no matter how small, is always ill advised. Former President Ronald Reagan knew this, and perhaps that’s why he never tried pulling Mikhail Gorbachev’s arm out of its socket at the Reykjavík Summit.
Of course, Trump is loath to change. An infamous germophobe, he hates shaking hands and has expressed his view of the “barbaric” ritual many, many times. “One of the curses of American society,” Trump wrote in his 1997 book The Art of the Comeback, “is the simple act of shaking hands, and the more successful and famous one becomes the worse this terrible custom seems to get.”
Now president, Trump has been forced to overcome that phobia. From his exchanges with the like of Japan’s and Germany’s prime ministers. But it’s time to change. Public service comes with certain sacrifices and for Trump that means learning to grin, grasp hands politely, and bear it.
We know that the president is a big fan of visuals and luckily the folks over at The Art of Manliness have put together a handy graphic on the topic.
This is both polite and pragmatic, the right thing to do and the best way to shut the media up on a stupid topic. But regardless, even if Trump keeps this up till the end of his term, at least he’s not as bad in this regard as President Obama.
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
