Trump breaks the link as handshake photo op goes awry

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Agence France-Presse

November 13, 2017 13:15





Manila - US President Donald Trump was all fingers and thumbs during a carefully choreographed photo op Monday at a summit of world leaders, failing to grasp whose hands he was supposed to be holding and breaking a lineup intended to showcase unity.

Trump, whose insurgent election victory was built on his willingness to disrupt political convention, was supposed to cross his arms and join hands with the men on either side of him.

But as others clutched the hands of the person to their left and their right, Trump used both of his hands to clasp the extended fingers of Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

The doubling up left summit host Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte with a spare hand -- and broke the line into two parts.

Read more: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/asean-plus/30331483

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[UCmeNdc]

1. Idiot

[forgotmylogin]

37. Alec Baldwin will kill this next Saturday on SNL.

This sketch writes itself.

[delisen]

2. President H Clinton in photo-would be sole woman

[meadowlander]

58. She would have more sense than to be photographed shaking hands with Duterte.

Extrajudicial killings anyone? Anyone?

The reason Trump was elected is that in every case like this the story the media pitches is "fumbly old guy can't work out how the handshake works" and not "craven oligarch-wannabe gets chummy with leader of police state".

[C Moon]

3. Looks like he was being dopey. Either way, what kind of idiot would ever cast their vote for that

egomaniacal (if that's a word), lying, cheating, traitor scum bag?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ARRRRGH!
I fucking hate that Putin, Trump, (probably) McConnell, Ryan, and a host of others got away with putting that bastard in the White House.
Still a nightmare.

[Rollo]

71. You mean, he was being himself?

Why does he always try to be the center of attention?

[C Moon]

74. Yes. That's for sure.

[rogerballard]

4. Time for another Mueller beer...

It is the champagne of beers... There goes another box of Kleenex.

Caption photo one: This is how we hold a golf club in America.

[airmid]

5. Good Gods...it's like a sideshow at a carnival

[BumRushDaShow]

14. Elect a clown, expect a circus.

(a ditty I heard from a caller on Joe Madison's show recently )

[Hortensis]

18. That says it, all right.

[airmid]

22. Yes it does...

[dixiegrrrrl]

70. The one I heard was:

"ain't my zebras, ain't my zoo"

which occasionally reduces my Trump created high blood pressure.

[BumRushDaShow]

77. LOL

[rogerballard]

6. Pardon me if I am wrong...

The orange bush on top of the Con Don's head, looks like he is trying to hide horns.

[Rollo]

72. Yes, it does look like that...

Or maybe just hired Ernestine's hair dresser (of Lily Tomlin switchboard fame)...?

[truthisfreedom]

7. Let's keep in mind

We still have a country. Democratically elected.

[Hortensis]

19. Yup.

[JohnnyRingo]

8. Fox & Friends should have explained it to him that morning.

What a moran.

[Deb]

9. Exhibits difficulty crossing his midline. Isn't it time for a referral and evaluation?

[Lulu KC]

23. Yes! He is not well. n/t

[Achilleaze]

31. Is that a particular symptom?

If a physician made that observation in a patient, what might the doc consider as a possible cause?

He certainly looks cramped, pained, in that last photo where he is finally crossing his arms.

[yuiyoshida]

10. Isn't Trump a germaphobe?

He probably hated every second of this male hand holding thing...

[FakeNoose]

34. He doesn't shake hands like a normal person

He shakes hands likes it 's a "male dominance" thing. It's awkward for everyone who tries to shake hands with him.
That's why he has trouble with the bonding sessions, he can't do it.

[yuiyoshida]

51. So that's how a

Asshole shakes hands.

[FakeNoose]

52. Yes - for him it's like aerial armwrestling

The gif I posted above is Trump with Macron the French prime minister.

There one here is Trump with Justin Trudeau, the primie minister of Canada. He will not let go of the guy's hand, until he finally pulls it away. What an asshole! He makes people uncomfortable and they hate to shake his hand.

[bmpbmp]

11. This is crap you learn in Kindergarten. For the love of humanity...

Can he not behave as though he's old enough to shave??

Smh

[mpcamb]

69. Maybe he was just troubled about Roy Moore getting all the headlines lately.

Couldn't concentrate.

[tblue37]

13. F***ing moron indeed! nt

[mamas]

15. I can't make fun of this. He shows signs of being dyslexic. I have two grands who are dyslexic.

This something they would have trouble with as he does. He really needs some expert help. He behaves like a person with a mental disability and his vocabulary is proof.

[Dave Starsky]

41. I have friends with dyslexia.

I assure you their gross motor skills are fully intact and progressed beyond toddlerhood.

This is most likely dementia related.

[Tanuki]

16. Donald....you ARE the weakest link....goodbye!

https://m.

[rusty quoin]

17. Dementia meet jet lag.

[Hortensis]

20. Balanced thought and something to it. 71 isn't 17 either

regarding that last. Personality disorder has, of course, been on full public display for 40 years.

[CrispyQ]

26. LOL

I love a good laugh first thing in the morning!

Cheers!

[FakeNoose]

33. And throw in dyslexia for good measure

Our President is not well. The lights are on but nobody's home.
The elevator doesn't go to the top floor. Not playing with a full deck.
Three bricks shy of load. etc.

[Irish_Dem]

40. My thoughts too. More evidence of neurological problems.

Cannot understand simple instructions which a child could follow.

Edited to add: I also think they have him on go and no go drugs like the military uses.

[Achilleaze]

21. republican Draft-Dodger-in-Chief is such an embarrassment for USA

sad

[karynnj]

36. Plenty of things to attack him on, but draft dodger is hypocritical

Unless you criticized Clinton too. I did not because I knew many people who searched for a way out of a war most of us did not believe in.

[mobeau69]

47. Clinton never tried to degrade a war hero though.

It's one thing to have been a dove and another to be a checkenhawk.

[enough]

24. He can't stand doing this because it prevents him from projecting dominance.

Also, he's so sedentary and uncoordinated that a movement like this is very difficult for him. It looks as if he can barely understand what they're trying to do.

[Corvo Bianco]

28. As someone who is sedentary and socially anxious

I think you're spot on.
If you forced me through something like this I'd want to go to bed for a week.

[enough]

35. Dear Corvo, there's something wonderful about the capacity to feel empathy for

someone you don't like. I mean it. I appreciate your post for reminding me that even Donald Trump is a human being somewhere deep down. If this sounds like snark, it isn't.

[Corvo Bianco]

45. Ah thanks :)

If all these awkward encounters came from a man who embraced warmth rather than bigotry, I don't think they would bother us. But he's a monster and all critique is fair when we're trying to fight off an aspiring autocrat. In fact, these little failures probably give us a sense of much needed comfort...Thank you!

[Thor_MN]

25. No one wants to be next to him.

He had to reach extra far across his gut as the people to his sides pulled away from him.

[flakey_foont]

27. Is Trump a denizen of the Upside Down world after all?

Some say

[Achilleaze]

29. republican disgraces America

again

[Butterflylady]

30. What an embrassment.

Looks so out of place.

[cannabis_flower]

32. I hate Trump as much as anyone but...

Last edited Mon Nov 13, 2017, 10:26 AM - Edit history (1)

this is petty. Notice the guy on the other side of Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also got it wrong. People should focus on other things, like his sucking up to Putin and Duterte.

[SunSeeker]

38. We can multitask.

We are and should be doing both. This picture is worth a thousand words. Dems need to do more of this. Low info voters only understand this sort of thing; this is how we reach them. Republicans know this (they can't govern, but know messaging) and have been kicking our ass at it for years.

[cannabis_flower]

39. It is still petty

So he's an uncoordinated duffus. That's not important. Focusing on physical flaws just makes us look mean spirited.

Let's focus on substantive policy issues and leave comments about weight, appearance and physical dexterity to our opponents. This is akin to the Republicans saying Amy Carter was ugly or Michelle Obama looked like an ape. We should be above that kind of meanness

[TomVilmer]

44. Yep!

[SunSeeker]

49. Nope!

This is NOT "akin to the Republicans saying Amy Carter was ugly or Michelle Obama looked like an ape." Those Republican outrages are not only inaccurate assessments of reality, but display grotesque RACISM and SEXISM. Pointing out ACTUAL PICTURES of Trump is simply not equivalent.

And no, it is not "meanness" to point out that Trump can't manage a simple handshake. His inane stupidity transcends everything he does and people need to know about it. Low info voters believe him when he brags that he is a "brilliant businessman," a "great golfer," and that he was "the best baseball player in New York." It is this bullshit image that helped get Trump elected. We should not be "above" pointing out that Trump's image is bullshit. This is not "petty." This is dead serious and crucial for Dems to win. 

If just talking about policy is all it takes to win elections, Hillary would be President.

[SunSeeker]

48. OFFS. No, it is NOT like calling Michelle Obama an "ape"

This is NOT "akin to the Republicans saying Amy Carter was ugly or Michelle Obama looked like an ape." Those Republican outrages are not only inaccurate assessments of reality, but display grotesque RACISM and SEXISM. Pointing out ACTUAL PICTURES of Trump is simply not equivalent. Your post is some of the most outrageous anti-Dem false equivalence bullshit I have seen in a long time.

And no, it is not "meanness" to point out that Trump can't manage a simple handshake. His inane stupidity transcends everything he does and people need to know about it. Low info voters believe him when he brags that he is a "brilliant businessman," a "great golfer," and that he was "the best baseball player in New York." It is this bullshit image that helped get Trump elected. We should not be "above" pointing out that Trump's image is bullshit. This is not "petty." This is dead serious and crucial for Dems to win.

If just talking about policy is all it takes to win elections, Hillary would be President.

[cannabis_flower]

56. Well, I think it's offensive..

to make fun of people because they are uncoordinated. It isn't like he's being mean or horrible. He's just terribly uncoordinated.

Maybe I used examples you don't agree with but making fun of someone who is uncoordinated is not very nice either. I'm not very coordinated, perhaps I would do okay with this but maybe not.

[SunSeeker]

60. Your examples were outrageously not equivalent. Mocking race is NOT like mocking stupidity.

Last edited Mon Nov 13, 2017, 08:49 PM - Edit history (1)

And it is not "mean" to show Trump for who he truly is rather than the lie he tries to convey of a smart, athletic, capable leader. If he was self effacing as you are, it would be different. But he is not. He is a liar and a braggart, and this type of exposure and mockery is sorely needed. We Dems must stop coddling our opposition.

[smirkymonkey]

67. +1000

[LanternWaste]

62. I like to tell people what ethical standard they should live up to also,

I like to tell people what ethical standard they should live up to also, as well as pretending to know what makes us look one way or another.

As long as we realize our pretense lacks any evidence to support it as anything other than a mere fancy rather than an actual conclusion.

[Judi Lynn]

64. I think I understand your comment on public attacks on people with impairments:

[Cracklin Charlie]

42. Is that a Russian guy who never figured it out?

[bedazzled]

43. that looks so dumb ... like they are in kindergarden

wonder who the blockhead who thought that one up was

[SunSeeker]

50. It is a photo op to show unity. Up until Trump, it was not considered difficult.

Leaders do this all the time to assure their people. It is not "dumb" at all.

[CatMor]

53. Unity is agreeing on policies....

that are beneficial to the world and its people. The handshake is and looks silly, almost childish.

[SunSeeker]

54. Maybe it looks silly to you, but it is important to the people of troubled countries.

If leaders can't even manage holding hands together, people assume they can't manage the more complex tasks of unity. In Trump's case, they would be correct.

[CatMor]

57. I guess it's in the eye of the beholder....

Over the years I have had handshakes only to be stabbed in the back by the people I shook hands with. It is sometimes a meaningless jesture.

[onenote]

59. Seems like a rather harmless gesture

https://medium.com/foggy-bottom/the-asia-pacifics-cyber-future-is-now-80f1ee6e0473

[SunSeeker]

61. Obama always was good with unity. nt

[Judi Lynn]

65. Thanks for this. Puts a little perspective on things, doesn't it? Tremendous. n/t

[Stand and Fight]

73. You must be a ball at parties... /sarcasm

[Aristus]

46. Can that blockhead even tie his shoes without help?

[SonofDonald]

55. In the third pic he looks like he just

Filled his diaper.

[RobinA]

63. Whose Idea Was This

anyway? The whole thing looks damn awkward. We did a thing like this in my sorority after meetings, but we just linked the index and middle fingers, which was much easier. But for people with body issues it is particularly difficult. I almost feel sorry for Trump, whom I detest, because he looks like the big kid in gym class who can never do anything right. Taller than all the other kids, heavier than the other kids, never quite knowing how his (or her) body parts related to each other...

[SunSeeker]

68. In school, Trump was the bully, not the bullied. nt

[rsexaminer]

66. Trump meme

If nothing else, Trump looking pathetic here will make funny memes. So there's that....at least.

[Marthe48]

75. Red rover red rover

let putin come over

Oh. Never mind.

[cilla4progress]

76. Remember Obama

Cool?

[Judi Lynn]

78. You could say that!

North America small one!

[RobinA]

79. Effortlessly Cool Guys

like Obama have been enraging Trump since forever. Hence...the guy we now have for President trying to trample every move Obama ever made. He wants to be like that, but you either got it or you ain't, and he ain't.