Emmanuel Macron firmly denied allegations of an altercation with his wife, Brigitte Macron, during a recent press conference in Hanoi. French president Macron’s emotional response to a viral video. This video, widely circulated by Russian state media and French far-right accounts, appeared to show Brigitte literally slapping him in the face. Macron added, however, that the whole exchange wasn’t quite as aggressive as the initial optics suggested. He added that they were “joking back and forth, like we do a lot.”
That controversial clip drew considerable ire, most notably from Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry. She narrated the video on Telegram as though Macron had just taken “a big right hook” from his wife. Zakharova’s comments lined up perfectly with baseless allegations made by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. He accused Macron and other political leaders of using drugs aboard a train to Kyiv.
Macron, speaking to the press, said he was irritated that different videos of him had been interpreted in such a way. He stated, “I have thought I shared a bag of cocaine, tussled with the Turkish president, now that I’m having a domestic dispute with my wife … None of this is true. Everyone needs to calm down.” He added that the allegations being spread were “classic,” linking Russian disinformation efforts with the narratives espoused by French extremists.
Macron and Brigitte as they started their state visit to Vietnam. This would be the first such trip in almost a decade and only the third since the end of France’s colonial presence there. The visit was mostly about consolidating the close relationship between France and Vietnam. It arrived at a time of increased trade kerfuffles thanks to U.S. tariffs imposed by then-president Donald Trump.
On the last day of a high-powered diplomatic visit, France and Vietnam signed stunning accords totaling €9 billion (£7.55 billion). These accords include sectors ranging from the procurement of 20 Airbus aircraft, collaboration in nuclear energy, defense, rail and maritime transportation, satellites, and vaccines.
An Elysée source provided insight into the viral video incident, stating that the couple was “decompressing one last time before the start of the visit, larking around.” They claimed that Brigitte’s body was not visible in the video and it was a playful gesture, not an aggressive one.
Macron’s comments echoed a closer-to-home story of how public officials are demonized and subjected to smear campaigns. An Élysée Palace official commented on the incident, noting it was “a moment of closeness. That was enough to feed the conspiracy theorists.”