French President Emmanuel Macron found himself in the spotlight for an unexpected reason this week—a viral video that shows his wife Brigitte appearing to slap-shove him in the face as their plane landed in Vietnam.
The clip, filmed by the Associated Press on Sunday evening, captures the moment the presidential plane door opens at Hanoi airport.
Highlights
- A viral video shows Brigitte Macron appearing to slap President Macron during their plane's arrival in Vietnam.
- Élysée Palace called the incident a playful moment, with Macron saying the video was blown out of proportion.
- Macron's office first dismissed the clip as fake news, then described it as a moment of togetherness amid conspiracy claims.
Inside the aircraft, Macron stands facing his wife.
Suddenly, Brigitte’s hand appears from the side and pushes his face. Macron seems startled.
A video shows Emmanuel Macron being slap-shoved by his wife as they leave an aircraft in Vietnam
Image credits: Marc Piasecki/Getty Image
Within seconds, he notices the cameras below and quickly shifts his expression, stepping out and waving to the crowd.
As the pair exit the plane together, Macron is seen offering his arm to Brigitte, who ignores the gesture and holds onto the railing instead.
Responding to the video, an Elysée Palace official said, “It was a moment when the president and his wife were relaxing one last time before the start of the trip by having a laugh.”
Macron later told reporters that the video had been blown out of proportion and that they were “joking around.”
“So you see a video that shows me squabbling and joking around with my wife, and I’m surprised about it. [It] becomes a sort of disaster of planetary proposition, with everyone having their own theory about it,” he told reporters.
“It’s all a bit rubbish,” he added.
Macron’s office initially dismissed the video as fake news, French outlets reported. They later backtracked and said the couple had “a moment of togetherness.”
An aide of Macron’s anonymously told Politico that the images “set off the conspiracy theorists.”
Another adviser blamed pro-Russian media for amplifying the video.
The couple has long been the subject of intense media attention and online disinformation, particularly from far-right and pro-Russian circles.
Image credits: Viktor Kovalchuk/Getty Images
In fact, the Macrons have been the target of online claims for years.
One of the most persistent rumors originated in 2022, alleging that Brigitte Macron was born a man.
The rumor gained traction both in France and internationally, particularly after right-wing political commentator and YouTuber Candace Owens released an online series claiming that France’s first lady is transgender.
In response, Macron said, “The worst thing is false information. People eventually believe them and disturb you, even in your private life.”
More recently, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones made an accusation that European leaders, including President Emmanuel Macron, were seen taking drugs on a train to Kyiv. It was based on footage showing Macron picking up a white tissue from the table as the other leaders entered the compartment.
Jones, along with other online accounts, claimed the white substance was cocaine.
The Élysée Palace strongly denied the accusation, calling it “fake news” spread by “France’s enemies” in an X post.
Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron’s relationship has long attracted public attention. The French president met Brigitte (née Trogneux) when he was just 15 years old, and she was his 39-year-old drama teacher—married with children at the time.
Their significant age gap and unconventional beginnings have remained a subject of public scrutiny and criticism for years.
The couple married in 2007, and Macron went on to become the president of France a decade later.
The couple has faced many online rumors and criticism for their 24-year age gap
Image credits: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images
Many have criticized people’s obsession with their age gap as ingrained misogyny in a world where men in power are often married to younger women.
Macron told Le Parisian newspaper, “If I had been 20 years older than my wife, nobody would have thought for a single second that I couldn't be.”
Currently, Macron is in Southeast Asia on a diplomatic tour.
Vietnam is his first stop on a trip that will also include visits to Indonesia and Singapore.
The goal of the tour is to strengthen France’s ties in the region and present the country as a reliable partner at a time when global powers like the U.S. and China are embroiled in a bitter trade war.