Up next
Author
Share and Follow
FacebookXRedditPinterestWhatsApp

They were just playfighting.
That was French President Emmanuel Macron’s explanation for video images that appeared to show his wife, Brigitte, pushing her husband away with both hands on his face before they disembarked from their plane to start a tour of Southeast Asia.
The moment quickly made headlines in France, with media trying to decipher the interaction that cameras spotted through the just-opened door of the plane.
The headline of a story on the website of the daily Le Parisien newspaper asked: “Slap or ‘squabble’? The images of Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron disembarking in Vietnam trigger a lot of comment.”

Macron later told reporters the couple — married since 2007 after meeting at the high school where he was a student and she was a teacher — were simply joking around.

A man in a black suit is being pushed by someone with their hands on his face as he stands at the entrance of an aeroplane. There's a man and a woman in hi vis jackets and a man in a suit around them.

Video captured the moment France President Emmanuel Macron was pushed away by his wife. Source: AP / Hau Dinh

“We are squabbling and, rather, joking with my wife,” Macron said, adding that the incident was being overblown into “a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe”.

In a video taken by the Associated Press as the couple arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sunday, a uniformed man can be seen pulling open the plane door and revealing Macron standing inside, dressed in a suit and talking to someone who wasn’t visible.
Two arms — in red sleeves — reached out and pushed Macron away, with one hand covering his mouth and part of his nose while the other was on his jaw. Macron recoiled, turning his head away. Then, apparently realising that he was on camera, he broke into a smile and gave a little wave.

The video has been widely circulated online.

Plane incident not the first viral video of Macron

This is the third time this month that Macron has been the subject of viral video footage at a time when France says it is being targeted by repeated disinformation campaigns as Russia steps up attacks on Ukraine.
It was falsely claimed Macron took cocaine on a trip to Kyiv alongside United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and images also emerged purporting to show Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan dominating the French leader in a handshake.
Macron said the content of videos of him had been twisted by people he described as “crackpots”.
He referred to the other incidents, including the images shot on the train to Kyiv, where some accounts falsely claimed he shared cocaine. But the object Macron removed from the table when the media entered was a tissue.

Erdogan, meanwhile, was filmed holding Macron’s finger at a summit.

A woman with blonde hair is gesturing with a hand.

Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova actively promoted the cocaine disinformation earlier this month. Source: EPA / Yuri Kochetkov

“None of these are true,” Macron said of the videos.

“Everyone needs to calm down.”
Macron’s office initially denied the authenticity of the images, evoking the possible use of artificial intelligence, before they were confirmed as genuine.
“In these three videos, I took a tissue, shook someone’s hand and just joked with my wife, as we do quite often. Nothing more,” Macron said.
He blamed manipulations on “networks that are quite well-traceable”, specifically pointing the finger at “the Russians” and “the extremists in France”.

He emphasised that all three videos were “completely authentic” but the meanings attached to them were not.

Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, who had actively promoted the cocaine disinformation earlier this month, wrote on Telegram that Macron had received “a right hook from his wife”.
She said Macron’s advisers would try to explain away the gesture by blaming Russia. “Maybe it was the ‘hand of the Kremlin’?” she said.
Macron’s office also downplayed the interaction.
“It was a moment where the president and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by horsing around. It’s a moment of complicity. It was all that was needed to give ammunition to the conspiracy theorists.”
Share and Follow
FacebookXRedditPinterestWhatsApp
You May Also Like
'I accept my responsibility': Albanese makes raw admission on Bondi attack

Albanese Acknowledges Responsibility in Candid Statement on Bondi Incident

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accepted responsibility and admitted more could have…

Review Uncovers Optus’ Missed Early Warnings in Emergency Call Outage

The 14-hour outage during a network upgrade in September hit South Australia,…
The biggest culture shocks for Brits living abroad - from Thai rain to kangaroo on the menu in Australia

Unexpected Culture Surprises Brits Encounter Abroad: From Thai Showers to Dining on Kangaroo in Australia

The allure of escaping the daily grind and settling in a sun-soaked…
Biffy Clyro bassist quits over addiction and mental health issues as he seeks professional help

Biffy Clyro Bassist Steps Down to Focus on Recovery and Mental Wellness

<!– <!– <!– <!– Biffy Clyro’s bassist, James Johnston, has decided to…
Lamar Ahchee

Australian’s 12-Year Bali Prison Sentence: Cocaine Smuggling Attempt Uncovered

An Indonesian court on Thursday sentenced an Australian citizen to 12 years…
Official Christmas Day forecast revealed

Christmas Day Weather Forecast Unveiled: What to Expect for a Festive Celebration

Some Aussies will need to move celebrations indoors as a few states…
Trump moves to cut off transgender care for children

Trump’s Bold Move to Restrict Transgender Healthcare for Minors Sparks Nationwide Debate

The US Department of Health and Human Services has unveiled a series…
Noam Chomsky, Jeffrey Epstein

Newly Released Epstein Estate Photos Unveil Connections to High-Profile Figures

On Thursday, Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee unveiled a set…