What Do Trump's Hand Gestures Mean? Video Released Of Hillary Clinton Practicing For President's Hug

A video released Friday showed former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton practicing how to duck a hug from her then opponent, President Donald Trump last year.

Philippe Reines , a Democratic strategist who worked with Clinton's campaign during the 2016 election, posted the video on Twitter, which was filmed Sept. 24, 2016, two days before the first presidential debate.

It showed Clinton practicing for her face-off with the then-candidate Trump, in which Reines opposite her, was portraying Trump. As a voice called out from the background, asking the two candidates to come on to the stage, both walked up, with Clinton extending her hand, but Reines (like Trump), opening his arms wide for a hug. Then laughter could be heard as Clinton tried to avoid the embrace.

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This came just a day after Benjamin Wittes, former FBI Director James Comey's friend shared how Comey had described several interactions he had with the president, including the infamous hug Comey did not like early this year.

Wittes told PBS on Thursday about President Donald Trump's handshake: “If you watch the video, he extends his hand, and Comey’s arms are really long, and he extends his hand kinda preemptively, and Trump kind of grabs the hand and pulls him into a hug. But the hug is entirely one-sided. So one guy in the hug is shaking hands.”

Trump's handshakes are known to be firm and strong and very few political figure greeted by Trump seem to have escaped the president's strong grip.

In February when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the U.S. to discuss trade and defense cooperation with Trump, he became the subject of Trump's long and strong handshakes. Both the world leaders sat down for a handshake photo-session at the White House, before flying down to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Abe initiated the handshake, asking “Shall we shake hands?” Then, Trump extended his hand, patted Abe's hands for some time and then pulled him closer to ask (in reference to the Japanese-speaking photographers in the room) “What are they saying?”

“When you cover somebody’s hand, you’re portraying yourself as being closer than you really are. It’s for perception management,” Joe Navarro, a body language expert based in Florida told Quartz. She added: “The only time you should be tapping somebody’s hands is if you’re their grandmother, but certainly not between two grown adults.”

Trump's aide and Vice President Mike Pence also could not escape the firm clutches of Trump. Last year in November, when the election results were out and Trump had finished his victory speech, he had such a strong handshake with Vice-President Mike Pence that Pence was literally moved forward.

Trump's handshake style is his habit of pushing people away or pulling them closer very suddenly. Trump's way of shaking hands has even been termed "grip and yank," The Telegraph reported.

Trump's "grip and yank" shakes are reportedly departures from normal practice and people’s expectations. It also does not allow the other person to reciprocate and do the same.

In February, after Judge Neil Gorsuch accepted Trump's nomination for the Supreme Court and the president appeared to shake hands with Gorsuch so violently the latter almost lost his balance.

In February, when Trump greeted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, it was widely expected Trudeau would also be shaken by Trump's firm grip. However, the prime minister had been well briefed.

As Trump extended his hand, Trudeau stepped right up to him and took the extended hand, but also grabbed the top of Trump's right arm with his free left hand. The result was a handshake resembling a stand off.