French President Emmanuel Macron has finally responded to a viral video that seemingly captures his wife, Brigitte Macron, slapping him — sparking widespread buzz and speculation.
Viral Video Shows Brigitte Macron ‘Slapping’ Husband Emmanuel — But There’s More to the Story
A startling video, captured by the Associated Press, has set social media ablaze by seemingly showing Brigitte Macron delivering a quick shove to her husband, French President Emmanuel Macron. The footage, filmed at Hanoi Airport, captures the 47-year-old President standing at the aircraft door as his wife’s hand briefly reaches toward his face.
The French leader appears caught off guard, turning swiftly before waving to the press gathered below. Notably, Brigitte then declines to take Emmanuel’s offered arm as they ascend the plane’s stairs.
Watch the moment here:
The clip rapidly circulated across social platforms and news outlets, triggering a wave of speculation and provocative commentary, including from Russian state media and French far-right commentators.
At first, the Élysée Palace dismissed the footage as likely “fake news.” But Macron later confirmed its authenticity, emphasizing it was taken wildly out of context.
“There’s a video showing me joking and teasing my wife, and somehow that becomes a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe, with people even coming up with theories to explain it,” Macron told News.com.au.
“We were horsing around, having a joke. I was surprised by that moment, and suddenly it’s a geopolitical disaster. It’s nonsense. People read all kinds of stupidity into things,” he added.
The Guardian reported that a spokesperson from the Élysée echoed the President’s stance, describing the brief interaction as “a moment of complicity” — a light-hearted moment where the couple was “decompressing one last time” before starting their official Southeast Asia tour.
The palace also pointed out that Brigitte’s face was never visible in the video and dismissed the claims as conspiracy-fueled exaggerations. “It wasn’t even a slap,” said one source.
Macron Faces Another Viral Misinformation Storm — This Time Involving His Wife
This latest viral video is not the first time President Emmanuel Macron has been caught in the crosshairs of misinformation campaigns.
Previously, a video clip from a diplomatic train trip to Kyiv — where Macron was accompanied by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz — was twisted online to falsely accuse the French President of using cocaine. The footage showed Macron picking up what was actually a tissue from a table, but social media rumors spun it as an attempt to hide drugs.
French officials quickly debunked the baseless claims, clarifying that the item was simply “a tissue for blowing your nose.” They also condemned the smear campaign as a deliberate disinformation effort.
“When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs,” the statement declared. “This fake news is being spread by France’s enemies, both abroad and at home. We must remain vigilant against manipulation.”
Reflecting on the string of viral misinterpretations, Macron wryly commented, “People have thought I shared a bag of cocaine, tussled with the Turkish president, and now they say I’m having a domestic dispute with my wife.”
“None of this is true. Everyone needs to calm down,” he concluded.