Donald Trump‘s bizarre handshake could be the subject of an anthropology paper. Common features are the “clasp and yank”, in which he jerks the other person’s arm toward himself to throw them off balance, repeated pats on their body to show dominance, and a “death grip” in which he refuses to let go.
He even gets sneaky with it, beginning with an open, palm-up “beggar’s pose” that lulls his victim into a false sense of security, before flipping the dynamic to try to underline that he’s the big dog in this encounter.
It’s gotten to the point that world leaders actively research ways to counter Trump’s handshake. Most famously, Justin Trudeau and Trump were locked into a “handshake war” over many years, which saw the Canadian premier develop a move in which he placed his hand on Trump’s shoulder to neutralize his tug.
But it appears that Trump met his match with King Charles, who has spent almost his entire life shaking hands with various people. Charles is across the pond for a high-stakes state visit, which comes against the background of high tensions with the UK, which has refused to back Trump’s disastrous war in Iran (the whole attempted assassination thing over the weekend hasn’t exactly helped calm things down).
Trump is trying his toxic beta-male handshake, and Charles is having absolutely none of it. pic.twitter.com/vNjJcdyR2P
— Adam Schwarz (@AdamJSchwarz) April 27, 2026
Flow like water, Charles
Yesterday, Charles and Camilla arrived at the White House, with Trump and First Lady Melania meeting them at the South Portico. While Camilla and Melania politely pecked each other on the cheek, Charles and Trump squared off in an awkwardly extended 8-10 second handshake, trying out his trademark “clasp and yank” move.
Charles parried him, matching the presidential grip, tensing his body to resist the pull, and the two engaged in a subtle back-and-forth “tug-of-war.” Observers described it as Charles countering Trump’s jerk by pulling his own arm back, preventing Trump from drawing him in.
Whenever I hear "No Kings," I think about Charles and his fat fingers. pic.twitter.com/PLf2jHMMqL
— Dr. Jebra Faushay (@JebraFaushay) March 29, 2026
The general consensus was that Charles came out on top, perhaps having been given a slight edge by his grotesquely swollen (but apparently mighty) sausage fingers. What does all this mean? Well…
… uh. Okay, it doesn’t mean anything. These are two men rapidly approaching their eighties holding hands and wobbling back and forth a bit for a few seconds. The result of this miniature tussle means diddly squat.
That said, other world leaders will be taking notes in Charles’ handshaking masterclass, doubtless trying to memorize his moves so as not to be dominated in any future encounters with Trump.
Published: Apr 28, 2026 09:10 am