A video showing French President Emmanuel Macron being struck in the face by his wife, Brigitte Macron, has gone viral. The incident reportedly occ
A video showing French President Emmanuel Macron being struck in the face by his wife, Brigitte Macron, has gone viral.
The incident reportedly occurred aboard the presidential plane just before landing in Vietnam, where Macron was commencing a diplomatic tour of Southeast Asia.
In the footage, Macron is seen speaking with Brigitte near the plane’s exit when she suddenly reaches out and appears to hit him across the mouth.
Macron looks surprised but quickly regains his composure and waves to the waiting media.
The first lady however remains concealed by the aircraft body, making it impossible to see her facial expression or body language.
The couple proceed down the staircase for the official welcome by Vietnamese officials.
Macron’s office initially denied the authenticity of the images, before they were confirmed as genuine.
As the couple disembarked, Macron offered Brigitte his arm, which she declined, instead holding the stair railing.
The French presidential team initially denied the authenticity of the video but later confirmed it, dismissing the moment as a little fun between the couple.
“It was a moment of togetherness. No more is needed to fuel the conspiracy theorists,” a source close to the couple said.
Another member of his entourage played down the significance of the incident.
“It was a moment when the president and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by joking around,” the second source said.
“It’s a moment of togetherness. No more was needed to feed the mills of the conspiracy theorists,” the source added, blaming pro-Russian accounts for negative comments about the incident.
Macron equally denied the incident saying they were “joking as we often do”, adding that other videos had been misinterpreted as showing him sharing a bag of cocaine or confronting the Turkish president.
The clip has sparked concern and debate, particularly given the long-scrutinised relationship between the couple. Brigitte, 25 years Macron’s senior, was his drama teacher when their relationship began during his teenage years.
While the French government seeks to downplay the video, critics argue that the gesture raises questions about the dynamics of the couple’s relationship.
Vietnam is the first stop on an almost week-long tour of Southeast Asia for Macron where he will pitch France as a reliable alternative to the United States and China. He will also visit Indonesia and Singapore.
