Salam comments after handshake snub by Trump

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has commented to reporters in response to the controversy sparked on social media after U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to have avoided shaking his hand during a meeting with foreign leaders in New York.

“Many are trying to fish in troubled waters. They muddy the water first and then try to fish in it, but so far, they haven't caught a single fish," Salam said, apparently dismissing the controversy.

The viral video highlights brief moments where Trump appears to bypass Salam -- who was standing right in front of him -- to begin his salutations in the other direction. “What great people,” Trump says, as the leaders present in the room stand up to greet him. The U.S. leader then proceeds to shake hands with Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Jordanian King Abdullah II, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Egyptian PM Moustafa Madbouly. Trump then greets the foreign ministers of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia from a distance, without shaking their hands, as he sits in his chair.