Wednesday, May 28, 2025 - French President, Emmanuel Macron appeared unfazed as he walked arm-in-arm with his wife Brigitte during the final day of a state visit to Vietnam, despite a storm of controversy surrounding a viral video that appeared to show the First Lady shoving the French president.
The video, captured as the couple disembarked their jet in
Hanoi, shows Brigitte Macron placing both hands on her husband's face in what
looked like a forceful push. Initially dismissed by Macron’s office as
AI-generated, the footage was later confirmed to be authentic.
Macron sought to quell the resulting media storm, describing the moment as lighthearted “playfighting” and dismissing the backlash as a product of disinformation campaigns. “My wife and I were squabbling—we were joking—and I was taken by surprise,” he told reporters. “Now it has become a planetary catastrophe, with some even spinning conspiracy theories.”
He referenced other recent false claims, including rumors of
drug use with British and German leaders and an alleged altercation with
Turkey’s president. “In these videos, I took a tissue, shook a hand, and joked
with my wife—nothing more. None of it is true. Everyone needs to calm down.
Macron and Brigitte were seen holding hands as they boarded
their plane to leave Vietnam, smiling and waving at their hosts in a display of
unity.
Aides downplayed the incident, describing it as a private
moment taken out of context. “It was a moment of closeness, a shared joke
before the formalities of the visit,” an Élysée official explained. Others
blamed hostile online narratives, particularly from pro-Russian sources, for
amplifying the controversy.
The couple’s relationship has long drawn public interest.
Brigitte Macron, 72, was Emmanuel’s high school drama teacher before the two
began a relationship when he was in his late teens. The couple married in 2007
and have frequently presented a united front in public life.
Their visit to Vietnam marked the first by a French president in nearly a decade and was aimed at strengthening diplomatic and economic ties. Macron signed multiple agreements, including a deal between VietJet and Airbus for 20 A330-900 aircraft.
He also addressed the importance of maintaining a
rules-based global order, especially amid increasing geopolitical tensions. “At
a time of imbalance and power-driven rhetoric, we must preserve a legal
international order,” Macron stated during a joint appearance with his
Vietnamese counterpart Luong Cuong.
The tour, which will continue in Indonesia and Singapore,
includes initiatives on defence, renewable energy, nuclear power, and strategic
mineral supply chains. Macron emphasised support for Vietnam’s energy
transition away from coal and France’s commitment to upholding maritime law in
the Indo-Pacific.
The French president’s itinerary also included cultural
stops, such as a visit to the Temple of Literature in Hanoi and a ceremony at a
war memorial, honouring those who resisted French colonial rule.
France and Vietnam maintain a comprehensive strategic
partnership—Vietnam’s highest diplomatic ranking—shared only with Russia,
China, and the United States. Macron’s visit underlines Paris’s ambition to
position itself as a key player in Southeast Asia, offering an alternative to
both American and Chinese influence in the region.
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