Macron Refutes Speculation Around Viral Footage with Brigitte During Asian Tour

French President Emmanuel Macron has formally addressed the widespread speculation generated by a viral video capturing an apparent gesture of rejection from his wife, Brigitte Macron, during their arrival in Vietnam as part of a Southeast Asian diplomatic tour.

At a press conference in Hanoi on Monday, Macron dismissed interpretations of the clip as excessive, framing it as a trivial marital exchange distorted by online narratives. “A video circulates of me joking with my wife, and suddenly it escalates into a global geopolitical incident, complete with baseless theories,” he stated. The president confirmed the authenticity of the footage but condemned its exploitation, noting, “The recordings are real, yet some manipulate them to propagate absurd interpretations.”

The brief clip, disseminated across social platforms, shows Macron pausing at the aircraft door before Brigitte’s hands abruptly touch his face, prompting a momentary look of surprise from the president. He swiftly composes himself, proceeding to greet awaiting media. As the couple descended the stairs, Brigitte opted to hold the railing rather than take her husband’s offered arm.

Initially, the Élysée Palace denied the incident occurred, but sources later clarified to CNN affiliate BFM TV that the moment reflected a lighthearted private disagreement. A presidential insider described it as an “intimate exchange” between the couple, emphasizing, “It was a playful interaction before embarking on official duties—nothing more.” The source accused pro-Russian digital actors of amplifying the footage to fuel division, stating, “Conspiracy mills require no more than this to spin tales.”

The controversy emerges amid Macron’s prominent role in consolidating European support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. This incident follows another wave of disinformation targeting the French leader earlier this month, when Kremlin-aligned accounts falsely alleged Macron used cocaine during a train journey to Kyiv with European counterparts. The Élysée debunked the claim, sharing an image of a tissue misrepresented as a drug bag with the caption: “This is for blowing one’s nose… When disinformation seeks to fracture unity, even a tissue becomes a prop.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova later cited the fabricated scene to critique European leadership. French officials condemned the campaigns as deliberate efforts to destabilize Western cohesion on Ukraine, accusing Moscow of leveraging false narratives to manipulate public discourse and peace negotiations.