Trump’s hot hands: From being rejected by Melania to greeting 1,000+ graduates

Donald Trump is famous for his bombastic and controversial tweets, but his hands stole the show when he recently surprised an audience by shaking hands with more than 1,000 Naval Academy graduates in Annapolis, Maryland.

The US president arrived on Friday to deliver a commencement address. However, instead of leaving immediately after the speech, he decided to stay and personally congratulate the graduates one-by-one. It took Trump around 90 minutes to complete the mammoth task.

It isn’t the first time that Trump’s hands have made the news. They attracted unwanted attention during the election campaign two years ago, when Marco Rubio – one of the contenders for the White House at the time – said the billionaire couldn’t be trusted because of his “small hands.”

Trump was quick to denounce Rubio’s claim. Right in the middle of televised debates, the would-be-president firmly defended the size of his hands, and insisted that there was “no problem” with the size of other things either.

Upon assuming the presidency, Trump proved that his hands are, in fact, effective in clearing the way – as he didn’t hesitate to sideline the prime minister of Montenegro at a NATO meeting in Brussels. 

Nearly every world leader who has met Trump has got a taste of his “handshake diplomacy.” Perhaps the most unorthodox experience was reserved for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose hand Trump squeezed for at least 19 long seconds.

The president was also particularly handsy with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. Trump decided to help Macron dispose of dandruff, all while talking about the “very special relationship” their countries enjoy.

Trump’s wife Melania, on the other hand, doesn’t always seem to be fond of his antics. The first lady was spotted refusing to hold her husband’s hand in public and slapping him by the wrist on several occasions.

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