The media now exists entirely in this Mean Girls sphere where its only activity is inventing gossip and spreading memes aimed at its political opponents. And so we get nonsense like this.
In awkward exchange, Trump seems to ignore Merkel's handshake request
If you've got "Seems" in your headline, a good rule of thumb is that you don't have a story. Especially if the thing that "seems" is this petty.
In an exchange caught on video, photographers gathered around Trump and Merkel in the Oval Office early Friday afternoon and suggested that the two leaders shake hands for the camera.
Merkel, a U.S. ally regarded highly by former President Barack Obama, turned toward Trump and asked, “Do you want to have a handshake?”
Trump, who seemed to be grimacing as he sat alongside Merkel, did not respond. He continued looking forward as the cameras rolled.
It is unclear whether or not Trump heard the chancellor, but clips of the exchange immediately made the rounds on Twitter. Reporters dubbed it “awkward.”
Twitter and reporters. That's what matters. Also it's not clear and there's yet another seems.
President Trump shook Merkel's hand at the joint press conference and on her arrival. That seems like plenty of handshaking. Especially for a guy who doesn't like to shake hands. Not responding to a goofy prompt from a reporter is not awkward or an incident. It's just more fake news.