Donald Trump Meets Barack Obama - Five Awkward Photos

When Donald Trump met President Barack Obama at the White House, their antipathy was barely concealed.

Mr Trump has called the president the worst in history, while Mr Obama said the Republican was unfit for the office.

The New York hotel developer, now president-elect, persistently questioned the birth legitimacy of the Hawaii-born president, and was publicly mocked for it by Mr Obama.

The two men spoke for more than an hour in the Oval Office on Thursday and when they emerged, they tried to put their bitter past behind them, speaking warmly about unity and a peaceful transition.

But the cameras told another story.

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image captionIf I stare into space hard enough, this will all go away...

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image captionTrump's mind seems to stray... perhaps to the humiliation of Obama's birther jokes in 2011

Image copyrightEUROPEAN PHOTOPRESS AGENCY

Image captionOK, here's the moneyshot... but Obama is stony-faced and Trump gives the gritted-teeth smile

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionNuclear option when discomfort goes off the scale.... Trump decides he just can't look, he just CANNOT look

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image captionNo more handshakes, much to Trump's relief... just a grim upside-down smile

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But it wasn't all excruciating...

Image copyrightEUROPEAN PHOTOPRESS AGENCY

Image captionThe two shared a lighter moment when Obama told the media that was it

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Melania and Michelle had no such problems

Image copyrightWHITE HOUSE

Image captionMelania Trump and Michelle Obama in conversation