Awkward moment Donald Trump tries to hold Melania’s hand during Emmanuel Macron's visit

The moment Donald Trump awkwardly tried to hold his wife Melania’s hand during Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the White House was caught on camera.

In the brief clip Melania does not respond as the US President is seen fondling her hand with his little finger.

As she fails to reciprocate, Mr Trump clasps at his wife’s hand however she remains seemingly uninterested.

She finally relents second later, ending the peculiar exchange.

The footage emerged as the French president made the first state visit of Mr Trump’s administration.

The pair met in the Oval Office on Tuesday to discuss trade, Syria and the Iran nuclear deal.

They pledged to try to resolve US-European differences on Iran but Mr Trump gave no clear signal about whether he would carry out a threat to abandon an international nuclear deal with the country.

After lengthy talks, Mr Macron said at a joint news conference that they had discussed "a new deal" that would strengthen the 2015 accord along the lines Mr Trump wants, such as by addressing Iran's expansion in the Middle East and its ballistic missile program.

Mr Trump remained firm in his criticism of past and enduring American undertakings in Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East.

However he appeared open to Mr Macron's pleas to maintain US involvement in Syria – and expressed openness to negotiating a new agreement with Iran

The visit culminated in a lavish dinner on Tuesday night as more than 130 guests dined on rack of lamb and nectarine tart and enjoyed an after-dinner performance by the Washington National Opera.