Up next
Author
Share this @internewscast.com
FacebookXRedditPinterest
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 informed reporters that the couple, who have been married since 2007 after first meeting at the high school where she was his teacher and he was a student, were merely 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 this @internewscast.com
FacebookXRedditPinterest
You May Also Like
Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia Michele Bullock speaks at The Daily Telegraph Future Sydney Bradfield Oration held at the Opera House in Sydney on October 24, 2025.

Leading Banker Uncovers Alarming Financial Threat: Protect Your Money Now

Australia’s top banker says she’s worried about the threat posed to the…
Major university under investigation after underpaying staff $1.25 million

Top University Faces Scrutiny Over $1.25 Million Staff Underpayment Scandal

The University of Adelaide is currently under scrutiny following its admission of…
Bag cuts are now in place for recreational fishing in the two gulfs, but restrictions only apply to commercial fishers in Gulf St Vincent.

South Australian Anglers Upset by New Fishing Restrictions

South Australia’s recreational fishing enthusiasts are expressing strong discontent after the state…
Louvre museum heist

German Elevator Gains Viral Fame Following Louvre Art Heist Adventure

Photos of a German-made freight lift that the thieves used in a…
dollar cash

Australian Super Funds Hit All-Time High in Value

Australians have collectively amassed an unprecedented average in their superannuation accounts, marking…
Amazingly no one was physically hurt in the Burnley Tunnel crash.

Miraculous Escape: Driver Survives SUV Crush by Fuel Tanker in Tunnel Collision

A Melbourne driver has had an incredible escape after their car was…

Mount Buffalo National Park Reopens Amid Intensified Search for Missing Dezi Freeman

Victoria Police have announced a new taskforce will take the lead in…

Unveiling the Legacy: The Historic Handback of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa and Its Impact on Indigenous Rights

Uluṟu is one of the most famous and recognisable landmarks in the…
ADF generic

Class Action Lawsuit Targets Alarming Sexual Violence Rates within Australian Defence Force

Women who claim to have faced systemic sexual abuse, harassment, discrimination, and…
Victims of horror crash that killed young model lash out at system 'in tatters'

Families of Tragic Accident Victims Criticize Flawed System Following Young Model’s Death

The heartbroken family and friends of a young model who lost her…
Trump insists he can strike suspected drug-smugglers without backing of Congress

Trump Asserts Authority to Target Suspected Drug Smugglers Independently of Congressional Approval

President Donald Trump has asserted that he retains the authority to conduct…
While filming The Road, Billie Jo Jones, a contestant from the show told the Daily Mail, 'He definitely pushed personal stuff aside and was all business professional the entire time'

Keith Urban Remains Tight-Lipped About Nicole Kidman Split on New Reality Show ‘The Road,’ Contestant Discloses

Keith Urban remained steadfastly professional during the filming of his new TV…