Montenegro Leader Not Troubled by Trump Shove

Trump had 'white-knuckled' handshake with Macron
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted May 26, 2017 3:33 AM CDT
Updated May 26, 2017 6:42 AM CDT
Montenegro Leader Shrugs Off Trump Shove
In this image taken from NATO TV, Montenegro Prime Minister Dusko Markovic, second right, appears to be pushed by President Trump.   (NATO TV via AP)

It was a shove seen around the world: President Trump pushed aside Montenegro Prime Minister Dusko Markovic as NATO leaders prepared for a group photo at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels Thursday. Trump was criticized by news outlets in the Balkans and elsewhere, but Markovic himself shrugged it off, the AP reports. "It didn't really register. I just saw reactions about it on social networks," he said. "It is simply a harmless situation." Markovic, whose country will become NATO's 29th member next month, went on to thank Trump for supporting Montenegro, adding: "It is natural that the president of the United States is in the front row."

Another Trump interaction that raised eyebrows Thursday was what reporters described as an epic handshake between the American leader and French President Emmanuel Macron when they met at the US ambassador's residence in Brussels. Unusually, Trump, who congratulated Macron on his "tremendous victory," appeared to be the first one who tried to end the handshake, Mashable reports. "The two men shook hands for six long seconds," writes Philip Rucker at the Washington Post. "Their knuckles turned white, their jaws clenched, and their faces tightened." (More President Trump stories.)

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