Donald Trump's 'Gross' Handshake Is 'Some Kind of Seductive Intimacy Move,' Says Kathleen Turner

GettyImages-88441343
Above, Kathleen Turner is pictured onstage during the AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Michael Douglas at Sony Pictures Studios on June 11, 2009, in Culver City, California. The actor described President Donald Trump's... Kevin Winter/Getty Images for AFI

Kathleen Turner didn't like President Donald Trump's handshake, the actor told Vulture in a candid interview Tuesday.

"Yes. Yuck. He has this gross handshake," Turner said when asked if she'd met the president of the United States. "He goes to shake your hand and with his index finger kind of rubs the inside of your wrist. He's trying to do some kind of seductive intimacy move. You pull your hand away and go yuck."

This isn't the first time Turner commented on Trump. She said she'd punch him to the Daily News in 2017. "I must not say that. … I've looked up what certain jail times would be for different actions," she told the publication, adding she "probably" wouldn't go through with it if there weren't any consequences. "I'm actually non-violent. I like to think hate. You know, I have a great imagination."

GettyImages-457222642
Above, Kathleen Turner is pictured at the 50th Anniversary of the Chicago International Film Festival at AMC River East Theater on October 14, 2014, in Chicago, Illinois. The actor got candid in a recent interview... Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images

Her encounter with Trump wasn't the only uncomfortable experience the actor commented on in the Vulture interview. She revealed she "slapped" a co-star. "There was a scene where another actor was all over my character and f***in' bit me," she said. "Maybe he didn't mean to, but he was taking things a little far."

Turner also was candid about her experiences on set and how women were viewed in the 1980s. "After [Body Heat in 1981], I was a sexual target. I understood later, from Michael Douglas, that there was a competition between him and Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty about who would get me first," she told the publication. "None of them did."

She also shared a story about filming Prizzi's Honor in 1985 and Nicholson commenting on Beatty's interest as the reason the latter would hurry to the former's house. "I don't like being thought of as a trophy," she said. "There was an unspoken assumption that women were property to be claimed."

The actor also pointed to Burt Reynolds, who was in the 1988 film, Switching Channels, as someone who didn't see women as "equal." "Working with Burt Reynolds was terrible," she said to Vulture. "The first day Burt came in he made me cry. He said something about not taking second place to a woman."

Reynolds also spoke about his costar recently. Andy Cohen asked him, "Who was the most overrated actor in the '70s and '80s?" and he said Turner on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in March.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go