An awkward moment between French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte turned into a viral social media sensation Monday night, as cameras captured what appeared to be Brigitte Macron slapping her husband's face while exiting their presidential aircraft in Vietnam.
Video: French President Emmanuel Macron gets slapped by his wife Brigitte Macron in Vietnam. Credit: Reuters
The embarrassing incident unfolded at Hanoi airport as the French presidential couple arrived for an official state visit. Video footage shows Brigitte Macron's hands reaching toward her husband and pushing his face in what resembled a slap while President Emmanuel Macron stood in the aircraft doorway. The French leader appeared startled by the unexpected gesture before quickly composing himself upon realizing the plane doors had opened to waiting cameras and officials.
The couple then walked down the aircraft stairs separately, with Brigitte declining to take her husband's outstretched hand – a departure from typical diplomatic protocol for arriving heads of state and their spouses.
French newspaper Le Parisien reported that a presidential aide characterized the exchange as nothing more than a routine "small argument" between married partners. Members of Macron's traveling delegation told accompanying journalists that the moment represented "stress relief and playfulness" between the president and his wife before beginning their demanding official schedule.
Presidential advisers dismissed criticism of the incident as manufactured controversy, explaining that "this is a moment of intimacy" that provided ammunition for political opponents. They specifically blamed pro-Russian social media networks for amplifying the footage, noting that propaganda accounts hostile to Macron seized on the embarrassing video.
This incident follows a similar disinformation campaign two weeks earlier when President Macron visited Kyiv alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russian propaganda channels falsely claimed a napkin visible on a conference table was actually a "cocaine bag" belonging to the French president.
The Elysee Palace issued a firm rebuttal at the time, declaring that "when European unity becomes problematic, disinformation reaches the point of transforming a simple napkin into a drug pouch." The presidential residence's official social media accounts warned that "this false information spreads through France's enemies, both internationally and domestically. Citizens should remain vigilant against manipulation."
Macron's current Southeast Asian diplomatic tour spans approximately one week, with scheduled stops in Indonesia and Singapore following his Vietnam visit.
