Macron finally speaks out about the Trump handshake: "it wasn't innocent"

Newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron was faced with a nearly insurmountable challenge this week: how to shake President Trump's hand without losing his own.

He succeeded, but just barely. In a new interview with Le Journal du Dimanche, Macron told the paper that the handshake was "a moment of truth."

"My handshake with him, it wasn’t innocent," Macron said. "One must show that you won’t make small concessions, even symbolic ones, but also not over-publicize things, either."

The uncomfortably long, white knuckled handshake between the two leaders at the NATO conference quickly went viral on Thursday. Even more restrained reputable outlets were unsparing in their coverage:

"When Mr. Trump greeted Emmanuel Macron, France’s new president, they grabbed each other’s hands, jaws clenched, in an extended grip that turned Mr. Trump’s knuckles white," The New York Times wrote.

Congratulations to both leaders for emerging from the summit with all of their hands intact.