The Hard-Hitting Journalism Of The Washington Post Navel Gazers

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe visited The White House yesterday.  He is the second world leader to meet with President Trump since taking office a scant 21 days ago.

The two leaders agreed to discuss a bilateral trade framework in the wake of America’s withdrawal from the 12-party Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.

Rather than focusing on the dangers of allowing China to dominate regional trade standards, protecting against their theft of intellectual property and halting their intervention in our economy, The Washington Post, instead chose to parade their weapons-grade stupid.

We know President Trump is concerned with appearances—especially when he's on television, or in front of news photographers or large crowds. 

We also know that President Trump is concerned with hands—how large they are, how strong they are—just look at them!

Trump is also a well-known germaphobe. He initially shunned shaking hands with supporters on the campaign trail. As president, protocol compels him to shake a lot of hands, though. 

And recently, he's taken part in a few handshakes that we'll just call "intense" for now—most recently, a bizarre moment with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe on Friday. 

Whether it's just habit, or a way of asserting his power, Trump has a habit of pulling forcefully on the hand he's shaking. We've spotted it now in handshakes with Vice President Mike Pence (on election night) and with Judge Neil Gorsuch (on the night Trump nominated Gorsuch to the Supreme Court). 

This afternoon, he did it again, with Abe. 

Trump even took time out to compliment Abe's "strong hands"—or maybe he was just referencing his own. 

But Trump doesn't always tug on the hands of those he's greeting. When Kanye West visited Trump Tower in December, the two dapped like old friends. 

While it's admittedly a small thing, little glimpses into Trump's thinking can give us an idea of how he handles these situations. But let's be honest—we already knew Trump likes to be in control.

To say I’m disappointed in this report is an understatement.  They failed to point out one of President Trump’s shoe laces was 1/16th of an inch longer than the other.  What’s up with that?

Did President Trump bow down to the Japanese Prime Minister?  Asking for a friend.