Did you catch this? President Donald Trump brushes the dandruff off the suit of French President Macron while the cameras are rolling (and under the watchful eye of George Washington himself)... And Macron can do nothing about it except laugh. I've watched this clip again and again, and each time, I can't help but wonder: "Did that really just happen?"
That has to be the ultimate power move - one alpha dog showing the other alpha dog who's boss. Maybe it was a sign of affection - Trump does call Macron "perfect" - but, wow.
Remember when these two guys met earlier? They both competed to see who had the stronger handshake in an epic 30-second handshake duel:
And Trump went one step further by checking out Macron's wife in full public view and giving her the seal of approval ("you're in such good shape"):
Can you just imagine? Think of your boss (assuming your boss is a guy) or anyone else in a position of power. Would you have the audacity to wipe the dandruff off his suit, check out his wife in public, and then try to crush his hand with a vise-like grip to such an extreme that you throw the guy off balance (if you watch the video carefully, you can see one of Macron's legs rise up into the air)?
I wonder if Trump did this all naturally without thinking, or whether he was planning something far in advance to show his dominance. When it comes to the dandruff power move, the only thing that I can think of off the top of my head that even comes close is the story about Russian President Putin bringing his large black Labrador to a meeting with Germany's Angela Merkel after finding out from his security chiefs that she had a lifelong fear of dogs. According to various versions of the story, Merkel was apparently cringing in fear of Putin's dog the whole time.
So forget all about Wonder Woman-style "power poses" - if you really want to show someone how powerful and confident you are, just knock the dandruff off their clothes and announce it to everyone around you within earshot.
It is tough to know what is behind some of the moves. I think they are slight power moves, but he has a genuine liking of Macron.
In the U.S., people are talking about the Trump-Macron "bromance," so I agree that Trump probably does have a certain liking for Macron. (my pet theory is that Macron reminds Trump of his son-in-law Jared Kushner)
hahah, you know I could see that. Especially since Jared Kushner has been pushed to the wayside recently. Yah, we have such a outside and limited view of their interactions. One minute it's a bromance, the next Macron is shitting on Trumps foreign policy in front of congress. The narrative changes so fast it gives people whiplash if they simply rely on the media.