Emmanuel Macron's wife 'slaps him' while exiting plane
26 May 2025

A video of French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, has gone viral, showing what appears to be a physical interaction between the couple.

The footage was filmed at Hanoi airport on Sunday as they arrived for a Southeast Asian tour.

In the clip, Brigitte seems to push Emmanuel's face before he waves to cameras and they walk down a staircase together.

He also offers to hold her hand, but she declines and instead clings onto the walkway's handrail.

Macron's office dismisses incident as harmless 'squabble'
Official response

Macron's office has played down the incident, calling it a harmless "squabble."

A close aide of the president told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that it was just a moment of decompressing before their trip.

The aide said, "It was a moment when the president and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by joking around."

Another source said, "It's a moment of togetherness. No more was needed to feed the mills of the conspiracy theorists."

Southeast Asia tour aims to strengthen ties
Diplomatic mission

The couple's Southeast Asia tour is aimed at strengthening France's ties with the region. The trip includes stops in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore.

During his visit, Macron will focus on key areas such as defense, innovation, energy transition, and cultural exchanges.

He has also announced a state visit to the United Kingdom in July 2025.