Trump holding hands and putting arm round women in politics

[REOLay]

This is really bothering me. The thing where he and Theresa May are pictured holding hands, or he's guiding a woman along with his hand on her elbow or back.

It's making me feel so uncomfortable every time the pictures come round.

How come he gets away with doing it, and in front of press too? Do none of these powerful women tell him privately to get his hands off them and keep them to himself? If not why not?

Are there other male politicians who do this? I can't think of any others but maybe that's my own anti trump biased thinking.

It’s grim isn’t it?

Makes my skin crawl.

‘I’d love to shake hands with you Mr. President but I’m afraid I suffer from Blennophobia so I must decline.’

The images of Trump trying to appear dominant with world leaders contrast strongly with the photos of him and Putin.

It makes my skin crawl too. It's like he's treating them like little girls. (I'm thinking of that recent picture of him going up stairs with Theresa May). I was embarrassed for our country.

Apologies for snapping at you on the other thread REOlay

My bad, I misunderstood your post. Sorry.

He does it to men as well. It's very much about dominance. He was doing it to Jean-Claude Juncker yesterday.

Everything about the man makes my skin crawl. The thought of him actually touching me is .... eurgh!

I cannot be the only woman who has encountered men like this more than once. The first one who did this I met when I was working in Italy during the summer at the end of my first year at university. I was 19, he was probably about 40.

Every time I came into contact with him, he touched me. He'd shake my hand and then hold on to it. He'd put his hand on my back or his arm round my shoulders. I was too young and inexperienced to know what to do.

Eventually, he assaulted me when ther was no-one else around.

Yeah he does it to men too- like the handshaking too hard, too long. I bet he read it in the "body language" section of one of those shitty "How to get ahead in business" books that were two a penny in the Greed is Good phase of the 1980s, all based on making the other person feel uncomfortable, which is just the height of bad manners. I bet he sits behind a big desk with his back to a window when people come to meet him, etc etc. I wonder if he realises that all the people who read the same books are imagining him straining to pass a big turd.
When he does it to women there is an extra unpleasant strand of sex based dominance too. I think if any head of state, male or female, orders him to keep his slimy little hands off them the rest of the world will cheer. (Either that or Theresa should grab him by the knackers and cheerfully roar, "Alright mucker, how's it goin'?")

I doubt he read it anywhere, apparently his office has to put his actual name in every paragraph they want him to read or he loses interest.

Isn't it also the case he has a phobia of ramps and stairs? I thought he actually needed to hold Theresa's hand the first time because he was afraid ...

He does the overlong and dominant handshake thing with men too, and the steering thing a bit, but the hand holding seems to be just women?

Agree with the "little girl" feeling it invokes. Skin crawly, but also makes me feel really indignant for our nation's prime minister.

Theresa, don't so much like the policies or the party, but ffs stand up for yourself woman! You are not obliged to be led by the hand like a child just because this man has a power kink.

There must have been discussion about this behind closed doors. Either she's ok with it (seems inceredibly unlikely) or it's been decided that she has to put up with it because he'll throw his toys out of the pram.

But it makes our nation statehood look ridiculous. I know there's lots of other stuff making us look ridiculous, but this one is so visual!

Can you imagine having got to the point of being one of the very few national leaders in the world who are female right now, and making the choice to let that idiot squire you up some steps? Does not compute for me.

yeah, it's come to this, I feel indignant for Theresa May

She should have looked at his hand, then her hand, then his and kind of held them up to compare size...

As a slight aside, I've noticed this propensity for putting arms around women (side by said photo situation), on LinkedIn! Only thought yesterday what is this shit?

"This woman Petra Whatshername is a lovely lady and a fantastically experienced senior manager in the field of digital technology" cue picture of bloke bestowing these platitudes with his arm around the woman.

So I ask myself, if it was a bloke he was bigging up, would he actually be putting his arm around her?! No he bloody wouldn't.

Sorry, a bit off topic but more of the same really and possibly slightly worse - we know Trump's pretty barmy and not normal; what's the excuse for these guys?

I loved the fact the Queen had a handbag to stop him doing it. She's so classy

Not long ago everyone was talking about him meeting the Queen, and in the photos I saw it looked very much like she was using her handbag to create enough distance to prevent him from getting handsy with her.

Which he no doubt would have given the chance. I think it's a sort of territory marking along with asserting dominance, like a dog peeing on a lamppost. I also think he's aware that many people find it outrageous that he does it and that's part of why he keeps doing it.

Theresa May should totally have had a handbag. I'm usually a handbag hater but there's nithinlie an accidental on purpose handbag bash to make a point with a chauvinistic twat. I loathed Thatcher, but she did have some moves with that handbag.

Maybe women due to meet Trump should start a trend for handbags with spikes on them.

I read (in one of the US online news papers) that Trump is unsteady on his feet, especially on an incline.

He will grab hold of an aides' arm or a passing politicians' hand to disguise his wobbleyness. Whereas other foreign dignitaries 'walk about' at summits, he has to have a golf cart to convey him from photo ops to meetings.

I wonder what he'd do if someone snatched their hand away. Would make a great photo op.

spiked handbags, kind of Boudicca I like it

Spiked handbags, and those joke buzzers concealed in the hand for the handshake moment. I would definitely crowdfunding to see that.

She should have looked at his hand, then her hand, then his and kind of held them up to compare size...

That image has just made my day.

OMG you sanctimonious women want your cake and eat it. This is why society is so fucked up because of left wing, feminism, gender neutral brigade harping on !

I'd really rather not eat anything that's been through Trump's manky little hands, or yours either come to think of it. Who knows where they've been?

Mrs Thatcher wasn't stupid. Her handbag was there for a reason and not just to signal to Conservative selection committees of the late 50s that she was a conventional female. Trump is hardly the only misogynist leader in the world. Mitterand? Chirac? Mugabe? Don't know about Kohl? It wouldn't have been reported on in the same way as it was considered so 'normal' for powerful men to physically patronise and dominate women.