Macron says his white-knuckle handshake with Trump was 'not innocent'

France's newly elected president, Emmanuel Macron, called his famous white-knuckle handshake with U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of the NATO Summit in Brussels "a moment of truth."

Macron acknowledged to a local French outlet that his intense handshake-off with Trump "wasn't innocent," but instead was symbolic of an effort to show resolve.

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"One must show that you won't make small concessions, even symbolic ones, but also not over-publicize things, either," Macron told Le Journal du Dimanche, according to the Associated Press.

A clip of the handshake between the two world leaders Thursday went immediately viral, with both sets of knuckles appearing white from the pressure.

While the French president sought to show strength in his interaction with Trump last week, he spoke fondly of him after a Group of Seven summit in Italy on Saturday, where he praised Trump's "capacity to listen."

SEE ALSO: Emmanuel Macron appears to swerve Trump's handshake at NATO to hug Angela Merkel instead

"I saw a leader with strong opinions on a number of subjects, which I share in part — the fight against terrorism, the willingness to keep our place in the family of nations — and with whom I have disagreements that we spoke about very calmly," Macron said.

"I saw someone who listens and who is willing to work," he added.

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