JUST IN:Lip reader reveals Trump’s 5-word threat to Macron during tense tug of war handshake… Full Story ⤵️ ⤵️

JUST IN:Lip reader reveals Trump’s 5-word threat to Macron during tense tug of war handshake… Full Story ⤵️ ⤵️

President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to wage a private war of words on Monday during a tense, jerking handshake on stage at a summit in Egypt supporting the end of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Years of friction between the two leaders have oscillated between moments of camaraderie and seemingly hostile interactions, the latest coming as Macron joined other countries in recognizing Palestinian statehood — something Trump described as a reward for Hamas’ terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

On Monday, in Sharm El Sheikh, Trump and Macron tightly clasped hands for nearly 30 seconds as they appeared to wrestle for physical dominance during a photo op. According to a professional lip reader who viewed the interaction, the two may have issued subtle threats and accusations at one another before agreeing to continue the conversation behind closed doors.

“Nice to see you, so you agreed?” Trump asked Macron as he joined him on the summit stage, according to lip reader Nicola Hickling. Macron responded as he faced away from the camera. “Is it genuine?” Trump appeared to ask. “Of course,” Macron replied.

“Okay, so now I want to know why. You hurt me. I already know,” Trump seemed to say. “I am making peace.”

Conspicuously absent from the summit were Israeli officials and Hamas representatives
Macron tapped Trump’s hand and looked down at it, saying, “Excuse me,” according to Hickling.

Trump appeared to ignore his request and grasped his hand even tighter.

“Let’s handle this behind closed doors,” Macron appeared to say. “I only hurt the other,” Trump replied.

“I see. We will have to see about that — you will see what is about to happen,” Macron warned.

“I’d like to see you do it,” retorted Trump. “Do it. I’ll see you in a bit.”

The on-stage photo op was part of Trump’s and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s co-hosted summit “to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability,” according to the Egyptian presidency.

Twenty world leaders attended the meeting, including heads of Qatar, Palestine, Turkey, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy, Norway and representatives from the United Nations and European Council.

In attempting to disengage from the shake, Macron appeared to favor a de-escalation of the moment
Conspicuously absent from the summit were Israeli officials and Hamas representatives.

Hickling said that Macron and Trump’s testy interaction on Monday continued a long history of theatrical diplomacy, calling it an example of “power play by touch.”

“Repeatedly prolonged, tight handgrips between these two have a clear history as theatrical diplomacy. The squeeze here (Trump squeezing Macron’s hand while speaking) reads as an attempt to dominate the interaction physically while delivering a conciliatory/accusatory line,” she wrote in an email to The Mirror US. “This mirrors documented public handshake tussles between the pair.”

In attempting to disengage from the shake, Macron appeared to favor a de-escalation, Hickling added.

“Tapping the hand, looking down and then turning away are classic appeasement / de-escalation gestures and an attempt to remove himself from the physical dominance,” she said. “‘Excuse me’ combined with turning away signals discomfort and a wish to break the engagement.”

Hickling said there appeared to be a mismatch between Trump’s words and body language. Even as he seemed to tell Macron he was “making peace,” he contradicted the idea by tightening his grip.

The number of global nations advocating for Palestinian statehood now totals more than 145
“That mismatch increases the likelihood this was friendly-theatre mixed with a clear assertion of control,” she said.

While the specific content of their altercation on Monday was not immediately clear, it followed a confrontation between the two leaders late last month regarding the recognition of Palestinian statehood.

“I think it honors Hamas, and you can’t do that because of Oct. 7. You just can’t do that,” Trump told reporters in September in response to France’s announcement supporting Palestine. The number of global nations advocating for Palestinian statehood now totals more than 145. The U.S. is one of the few in the minority.

“Nobody forgets the 7th of October, but after almost two years of war, what is the result?” Macron responded. “This is not the right way to proceed.”

“There is one person who can do something about [the war in Gaza], and that is the U.S. president,” Macron told France’s BFMTV. “And the reason he can do more than us is because we do not supply weapons that allow the war in Gaza to be waged. We do not supply equipment that allows war to be waged in Gaza. The United States of America does.”