US President Donald Trump’s handshake politics is not a new thing. Over the years, it has been noted that, with various political dignitaries, Trump’s handshakes last a prolonged time, almost to the point of being uncomfortable.
Often being called as a way to assert his superiority, the tides seem to be turning, with recent instances of the US President meeting King Charles and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Rod Stewart, or Sir Roderick David Stewart, a legendary British rock and pop singer-songwriter, recently spoke to King Charles about it at an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the King’s Trust at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday.
Stewart, speaking to King Charles, said, “May I say, well done in the Americas. You were superb, absolutely superb; put that little ratbag in his place.”
He is further reported to have said, “Exactly, that’s it – it went right over his head, right over his head” as a response to something the King said. Turning to Camilla, he added, “I was just congratulating your husband on his wonderful performance in the Americas, so great, so brave, so proud.”
What Is The Trump Handshake?
In order to understand why King Charles and President Xi Jinping beat Trump at his handshake game, it is important to understand what the Trump handshake is, in the first place.
Trump’s handshake is actually a very popular gesture that started to be noticed when he first became president of the United States in 2017. It has been given several names over the years, from the yank-and-pull to the grip-and-drag, and even the Trumpshake.
In this particular handshake, Trump extends his hand, grips the counterpart’s firmly, and then, with a sharp, sudden tug, yanks them forward toward himself. Sometimes he even pats the hand of the political dignitary with his other hand.
But he was always noticed to hold the grip for longer than is normal, even bordering on uncomfortable. None of this happens by accident.
Body language expert Chris Ulrich, quoted by Global News and the New York Times, stated plainly: “The bottom line is that in every one of these, Trump takes up real estate in other world leaders’ heads.”
Various psychologists and commentators have even said that this handshake is a power move by Trump, meant to throw the other party off-balance and assert his own superiority.
In a 2017 report, The Washington Post wrote that “Trump has a habit of sharing awkward, intense and sometimes downright strange handshakes with world leaders.”
The report further explained that “Whether it’s just habit, or a way of asserting his power, Trump has a habit of pulling forcefully on the hand he’s shaking.”
In another 2017 report by The Guardian wrote how, “It’s hard to escape the conclusion that Trump’s attachment to it lies in the fact that it enables him to take control and impose himself on the person whose hand he’s shaking.”
King Charles, And His Fat Hands?
On 27 April 2026, King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrived at the White House for a four-day state visit. The reasons for this visit were many and substantial, including NATO commitments, West Asia, climate change, and the US-UK relationship that has been under considerable strain.
The moment came, however, when King Charles and Queen Camilla were greeted by the US President and First Lady Melania Trump at a military base outside of Washington.
As King Charles steps out of the car, Trump extends his hand as a greeting, and seemingly has an almost 10-second-long handshake with the monarch. However, instead of giving in reports claim that King Charles held his ground and had a push and pull moment with Trump rather than being yanked.
According to a GB News report, in the analysis of the video, “What followed appeared to be a back-and-forth tussle, with the President seemingly attempting his well-known handshake manoeuvre.”
The clip went viral online, with one user commenting, “Trump is trying his toxic beta-male handshake, and Charles is having absolutely none of it,” and another writing, “Trump really tried hard with his gangrenous hand to do his stupid hand shake pull shit and the King fucking clowned him.”
In the midst of this, though, several also attributed this win to Charles’ visibly swollen knuckles and enlarged fingers.
It is unclear what the exact reason is for this, although medical commentators have speculated variously about arthritis, circulatory conditions, and fluid retention at altitude during long flights.
Netizens online even used it to mock Trump for failing here, with one user writing, “Imagine thinking your necrotic little flipper could take on those sausage fingers.”
Another commented, “King Charles’ massive sausage hands were made for this moment. It was their destiny.”
Read More: Fact Check: Top Reasons Why US Is The Real Hellhole
Xi Jinping: The Stone Wall
Donald Trump was met by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the steps of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Trump, who is on a state visit, has much at stake here. Whether it is international trade or global conflicts, or just the generally aggressive stance that the Trump administration has taken against the Chinese government.
Given the anticipatory nature of this meeting, the handshake was watched by many with bated breath, and it was certainly interesting. In this, another 10-second-long handshake, President Xi almost looked like a stone wall against any shenanigans that might take place.
Body language expert, author, psychologist and former Oxford don, Peter Collett, speaking with Newsweek, said, “Trump did not deploy his usual ‘yank-shake’ handshake style in this meeting, which he typically uses to assert dominance.”
He further added, “There appear to be two occasions when he doesn’t do this – either when there’s no need to be overbearing or when he considers the other person to be his equal, or at least doesn’t want to disturb the illusion that that’s how he thinks of them.”
Collet also said that the Chinese leader’s reaction here “gives the impression that Trump is doing all the work, both literally and figuratively”.
Body language expert Inbaal Honigman, writing for LADbible, focused on the mechanics of the grip itself when it did occur.
Honigman said, “President Xi has the upper hand, literally and figuratively, when the two shake hands. His palm is over Trump’s palm, and the more dominant person is the one who gets to be on top of the handshake,” adding, “It is worth noting that taking the lower position in a handshake is kind of a Trump special.”
Trudeau Did It First
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the first to break the cycle of the Trump handshake when he visited the White House for a bilateral meeting on February, 13, 2017.
As Trump extended his hand, Trudeau moved, not away from the grip, but into it. He stepped forward, gripped Trump’s hand firmly, and simultaneously placed his left hand on Trump just below the shoulder.
The effect was immediate and visible. By moving close and anchoring himself against Trump’s arm, Trudeau had neutralised the leverage that the yank-and-pull requires. You cannot pull someone off-balance who is already close enough to be leaning into you.
Body language specialist Judi James, writing for the UK’s Daily Express, described Trudeau’s approach as “a master class in getting it right.”
She elaborated in an analysis quoted by CBC News, saying, “Trudeau disarmed Trump at their first meeting by getting in too close to fall victim to Trump’s notorious power shake or shake-and-yank combos that were diminishing the status of other world leaders on their first visits to the White House. His canny arm-pat on the president’s bicep suggested Trudeau was the one in control.”
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: NBC News, Times of India, Variety
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: King Charles, King Charles Trump, Rod Stewart, King Charles, Rod Stewart King Charles, Rod Stewart King Charles Trump, Rod Stewart trump ratbag, king charles trump news, king charles trump meeting, trump, donald trump, trump china visit, trump china, trump president xi, chinese president, us china summit
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