The video of French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, as they were disembarking from a plane during a visit to Vietnam on Sunday evening, have caused widespread media coverage and public speculation..
Just a joke
The French President now dismisses it as “just a joke”. The video shows his wife, Brigitte Macron, pushing him in the face as they disembarked from a plane in Vietnam.
The incident occurred on the evining of May 25 upon the couple’s arrival in Hanoi.
Footage captures President Macron at the aircraft’s open door when Brigitte appears to push his face with both hands, causing him to momentarily lose balance.
The president quickly regained composure, smiling and waving to the crowd. As Brigitte descended the stairs, Macron extended his arm, which she did not take.
Initially, the presidential office questioned the video’s authenticity but later sought to downplay the event. President Macron referred to the gesture as a “playful moment” between him and his wife.
– We were just joking, he told reporters, suggesting the incident had been exaggerated.
However, body language expert Judi James described the push as “shocking” and cautioned against trivializing such actions.
– Pushing your partner’s face with such force that their head moves and they have to steady themselves should not be labeled as ‘playful’ merely to save political face, James told the Daily Mail.
Blames Russian disinformation
An anonymous source close to the president characterized the moment as a brief, light-hearted interaction before the official engagements in Vietnam, AFP reported.
Another anonymous source in the president’s entourage also tried to downplay the incident, in an interview with CNN affiliate BFM TV on Monday.
He suggested that conspiracy theorists and foreign disinformation campaigns, particularly from Russian troll factories, had amplified the incident beyond its context.
Cocaine accusations
Earlier in May, Russian disinformation falsely accused President Macron of using cocaine on a train to Kyiv with German Chancellor Merz and UK Prime Minister Starmer.
A video showing Macron picking up a white tissue was twisted by Russian officials, including spokesperson Maria Zakharova, who spread the drug rumor on Telegram.
Undermining European unity
The French and German governments quickly denied the claims, confirming the object was just a tissue and condemning the false narrative as a deliberate attempt to undermine European unity and distract from support for Ukraine.
Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron have been married since 2007. Their relationship drew attention because she is almost 25 years his senior and was once his teacher.