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Did Obama just make the most awkward handshake ever? Here's the competition

Handshakes: Which is the worst - Obama's or Key's?

Tue, 22 Mar 2016

No wishing to trivialise Barack Obama's historic visit to Cuba, but did he just take part in one of the most awkward handshakes in the history of politics?

It went like this: after the two appeared together, Cuban leader Raul Castro went in to grab President Obama's arm and hold it aloft with his own in a symbol of triumph.

Obama clocked to the plan, and obviously didn't like it, but it was too late to snatch his arm away.

So instead, Potus let his arm go limp.

The Cuban president determinedly held on to it anyway, and shook — making Obama's hand flap up and down like a seagull:

It was a shocker, but in the worst handshake by a politician stakes it faces serious competition from John Key's famous attempt to turn a Rugby World Cup shake into a three-way:

Or anything in this 55-second YouTube compilation:

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Did Obama just make the most awkward handshake ever? Here's the competition
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