French President Emmanuel Macron has dismissed a viral video showing his wife Brigitte appearing to push his face away as they disembarked from a plane in Vietnam during the start of their Southeast Asia tour. Speaking to reporters in Hanoi, Macron confronted the video head-on, rejecting the swirling speculation it had sparked online.
“There’s a video of me playfully teasing my wife, and somehow it’s been blown up into a global scandal, with people concocting all sorts of wild theories,” Macron said. He admitted the footage was authentic but criticized how it had been twisted and weaponized for sensationalism. “Yes, the videos are real, and sometimes they are edited, but people are assigning nonsense meanings to what they see.”
The clip itself is brief: as the aircraft door opens, Macron appears in the doorway. Seconds later, Brigitte Macron’s hands extend from the side, pressing against his face in what looks like a sudden, unexpected shove. Macron looks briefly startled but quickly recovers, waving to the press gathered below. As they descend the stairs, Macron offers his arm, which Brigitte declines, choosing instead to hold the railing.
Initially, the Élysée Palace denied any incident on the plane, but later sought to downplay the moment’s significance. A source close to Macron told CNN affiliate BFM TV that the couple was simply engaging in lighthearted bickering—a “moment of togetherness” before the official tour commenced. The source described it as a playful exchange, not worthy of the intense scrutiny and conspiracy theories it had attracted. Pro-Russian trolls, the source noted, were among the first to seize on the clip, spinning it into a broader narrative of controversy.
Macron has been a central figure in coordinating Europe’s response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This viral video comes amid another wave of online disinformation targeting the French president. Earlier this month, the Élysée officially dismissed as “fake news” a viral claim — pushed by Kremlin-linked sources — alleging Macron was using cocaine aboard a train to Kyiv with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The rumor, which originated from pro-Russian accounts, falsely suggested that a crumpled tissue Macron picked up was actually a cocaine packet. The Élysée responded swiftly by posting a clear rebuttal online, captioning the photo: “This is a tissue. For blowing your nose… When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation turns a simple tissue into drugs.”
Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for Russia’s foreign ministry, amplified the false cocaine story, using it to paint a picture of dysfunction within European leadership. French officials condemned these tactics, highlighting them as part of a broader Kremlin effort to sow discord in Western alliances. The goal, they say, is to weaken unity on Ukraine and derail ongoing peace talks through coordinated disinformation campaigns and social media manipulation.
In the face of these swirling controversies and viral moments, Macron remains steadfast in his efforts to rally Europe. Yet, the episode in Hanoi is a vivid reminder of how quickly social media can distort even the most mundane personal moments, turning them into fodder for political and diplomatic conflict. As Macron continues his Southeast Asia tour, his team faces the dual challenge of managing both international diplomacy and the ever-present battle against online misinformation.