When Donald Trump touched down in Beijing for a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the visit was billed as a significant diplomatic milestone. Trade tensions, foreign policy, and the broader economic relationship between the two superpowers were all on the table. What nobody expected, however, was that the most talked-about moment from the entire trip would be... a handshake.
Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo took to the air to address what he described as a social media misreading of the body language between the two leaders. According to Arroyo, online users were wrong to suggest Xi had "dominated" Trump during their televised greeting. His evidence? A small wrist movement Trump made mid-handshake.
"He gives Xi's hand a little swat to diminish whatever that dominant move was at the top," Arroyo explained on air, apparently with full sincerity.
The response online was swift and brutal.
"The Most Embarrassing Segment Ever"
Social media users wasted no time tearing into the segment. The clips spread across platforms almost immediately, with viewers questioning how a major news network had ended up dedicating airtime to dissecting a handshake frame by frame.
"We've officially reached the stage of political media where grown adults are breaking down handshakes like it's ESPN analyzing fight footage," one user wrote, capturing the mood of thousands who shared the sentiment.
Others went further. One critic pointed out the deeper issue with the whole conversation, writing that the obsession with proving every interaction is either an act of domination or humiliation says more about the commentators than the politicians themselves. "Man, please stand up," they added.
The criticism wasn't just about the absurdity of handshake analysis some viewers took aim at what they felt it revealed about media culture more broadly. "It's scary that there are people who think 'dominating' is an important thing," one person wrote. "How about good personality, dignity, and mutual respect?"
The Summit Itself Was a Big Deal
Lost in all the handshake hysteria was the fact that the Beijing summit was actually a meaningful moment in US-China relations. Trump and Xi appeared publicly together on multiple occasions throughout the visit, which included formal talks on trade and bilateral policy, a state banquet, and a tour of the Zhongnanhai leadership compound the nerve center of China's political establishment.
The trip also carried a certain personal significance. It marked nearly a decade since Trump last visited China, back in 2017 during his first term, when he made the trip alongside Melania.
By any measure, a visit of that weight deserved serious coverage. Whether that coverage should include slow-motion wrist analysis is, apparently, still up for debate.
Why It Hit a Nerve
Part of what made the Fox News segment land so awkwardly was the earnestness of it. The network wasn't being ironic it was genuinely trying to reframe the handshake as a win for Trump. And for a lot of viewers, that kind of spin felt more embarrassing than anything the handshake itself could have suggested.
"Their coverage is pathetic," one critic wrote bluntly. "Trump must never be presented as lesser to anyone or anything, or they will get some mean calls."
Whether you read the handshake as a power play, a neutral greeting, or just two world leaders shaking hands one thing was clear after that segment aired: the real talking point wasn't what happened in Beijing. It was what happened in the Fox News studio.
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