Before President Donald Trump hosted his first state dinner on Tuesday, he greeted French President Emmanuel Macron, which was peppered with French greeting kisses, shoulder rubs, and Trump brushing dandruff off Macron's shoulder.
Standing beside each other in the Oval Office, the two leaders exchanged smiles and pleasantries, which were quickly followed by the president flicking what he called "dandruff" off Macron's suit. Whether the dust on Macron's shoulder was, in fact, dandruff, has not been confirmed.
"We have a very special relationship, in fact I'll get that little piece of dandruff off," Trump said of Macron. "We have to make him perfect. He is perfect"
The American and French presidents discussed an array of issues, with the Iran nuclear deal being a central focus of their talks. Trump has long expressed his desire to withdraw from the agreement. Macron believes it can be improved. They also reaffirmed their commitment for "free and fair trade."
"It is together that we shall build a new form of prosperity for all people, which means innovation, free and fair trade, and the protection of our middle classes," said Macron. "It is together that we will be able to act effectively for our planet."
Twitter users wasted no time sharing their, shall we say, befuddlement at the unexpected shows of affection between two men who could not be less politically aligned. The whole was just... weird.
Of course, Trump's hair was the butt of a joke.
"God in Heaven please help us. Maybe Macron should have reached up and straightened out that hot mess up on Trump's head for starters, lol."
But a lot of the digs were at Trump himself, who is easily swayed by praise.
"Trump acting like the unpopular kid who got to sit with the popular kids at lunch He wants so badly to be respected and liked."
@jaketapoer/Bluesky
@BillAckman/Twitter