US President Trump did not refuse to shake Merkel's hand

March 19, 2017 21:29

Donald Trump's spokesman has denied that the US president refused to shake hands with German Chancellor Angela Merkel as they say side-by-side in the White House last week. "I don't think he heard the question" posed by Merkel when she suggested they shake hands, in full view of press cameras, spokesman Sean Spicer told German weekly Der Spiegel.

The quote was translated into English from Der Spiegel's online German website.

The veteran German chancellor had arrived for her first meeting with Trump at a snowy White House hoping to reverse a chill in relations after Trump's incendiary election rhetoric, in which he called Merkel's acceptance of refugees a "catastrophic mistake" and suggested she was "ruining Germany."

The visit on Friday began cordially, with the pair shaking hands at the entrance of the White House. But later, sitting side-by-side in the Oval Office, Merkel's suggestion of another handshake went unheard or ignored by Trump -- an awkward moment in what are usually highly scripted occasions.

German media pointed to the incident as another marker of the meeting's general icy mood between the cautious German chancellor and impulsive US president.

In a frequently awkward joint press conference in the East Room, Trump and Merkel showed little common ground as they addressed a host of thorny issues including NATO, defence spending and free trade deals.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Chess whiz Gukesh reveals his inspiration: Find out who

D Gukesh admires the way charismatic former India skipper MS Dhoni and iconic tennis player Novak Djokovic

Rahul, Hema in fray as 88 seats go to polls in Phase 2

Voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha polls will be held on Friday for 88 seats in 13 states with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi seeking a second-straight term from Wayanad in Kerala.

India calls US report on human rights 'deeply biased'

India on Friday described a United States State Department report citing alleged incidents of human rights violations including in Manipur as 'deeply biased' and said it reflects a poor understanding of India and it attach no value to it.

Investors' wealth up by Rs 11 lk cr in 5 days

The market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies jumped to a lifetime peak of Rs 404.18 lakh crore on Thursday helped by a five-day rally in benchmark indices, making investors richer by Rs 11.29 lakh crore. Recovering after a sell-off...

Shikhar Dhawan's comeback on the cards

PBKS spin bowling coach Sunil Joshi said Dhawan is on a recovery course and the left-hander could possibly make a return in their next game in Chennai.