The two engaged in a bizarre tug-of-war handshake where Trump aggressively pulled on Macron's hand but Macron immediately pulled back as well, not submitting to Trump

President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron shared another intense handshake outside the Oval Office on Monday shortly before a meeting discussing the war in Ukraine.

The two engaged in a bizarre tug-of-war handshake where Trump aggressively pulled on Macron's hand, but the French leader immediately pulled back as well, refusing to submit to Trump. The two did not let go of each other for several seconds as they stood side by side and faced the press.

Fox News analyzed the dynamics of the greeting, pointing out that the French president pulled back on Trump. "There it is, we saw President Trump firmly grip the hand of Emmanuel Macron there, and a little bit of a pull back there from Macron. Been a bit of a battle going back to 2017," Fox News host and former Trump Press Secretary Kayleigh Michelle McEnany commented on air.

This is the first time the two leaders have seen each other since December 2024 when Trump attended the reopening of historic Notre Dame Cathedral. During that Paris meeting Trump gave Macron a shockingly firm handshake, practically dragging him.

Since 2017 the two have shared memorable, prolonged handshakes that have been widely analyzed. Commentators have previously suggested their encounters represent a power struggle between the men.

One X users commented on the moment, and one wrote: "Macron held his own against trump's macho handshake arm tug".

One joked: "Experts say a 20-second hug releases the love hormone, oxytocin. Do you think Trump and Macron’s handshake releases oxytocin?"

Another commented: "Macron has figured out how to deal with Trump down to the handshake. He won the battle of the handshakes today. He pulled Trump closer then went for the back hand tap. Lmao."

Days before the meeting Macron said he would tell Trump: "'You can't be weak in the face of President Putin. "It's not you, it's not your trademark, it's not in your interest. How can you then be credible in the face of China if you're weak in the face of Putin?'"

Trump's recent statements echoing Putin's narrative and plans to have direct negotiations with Moscow have left European allies and Ukrainian officials worried. However, Macron suggested that Trump's strategy to create "uncertainty" in talks with Russia could actually strengthen Western allies.

Putin "doesn't know what he (Trump) is going to do, he thinks (Trump) is capable of anything," Macron said. "This uncertainty is good for us and for Ukraine."

Trump met with fellow Group of Seven leaders for a virtual session on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Macron visited the White House for the meeting, and the two leaders were holding bilateral talks to discuss the situation in Ukraine, the Associated Press reported.

The talks come at a moment of deep uncertainty about the future of transatlantic relations, with Trump transforming American foreign policy and effectively tuning out European leadership as he looks to quickly end the war in Ukraine.

But Trump, a Republican, expressed optimism that the White House and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are nearing a deal that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s critical minerals to help repay the U.S. for more than $180 billion in American delivered to Kyiv since the start of the war in 2022. Ukraine is also looking for future security guarantees as part of any agreement.