WATCH | ‘Just joking around,’ says team Macron after face-push goes viral

His wife Brigitte’s arms emerge from the left of the open doorway, she places both hands on her husband’s face and gives it a shove.

The president appears startled but quickly recovers and turns to wave through the open door. She remains concealed by the aircraft body, making it impossible to see her facial expression or body language.

Breaking:

French President Emmanuel Macron got slapped by his wife on face??

French President Macron’s reaction after wife Brigitte Macron slapped him in the face?? pic.twitter.com/fKDKNzTC0H

— Manni (@ThadhaniManish_) May 26, 2025

The couple proceeds down the staircase for the official welcome by Vietnamese officials, though Brigitte Macron does not take her husband’s offered arm.

The video clip circulated rapidly online, promoted particularly by accounts that are habitually hostile to the French leader.

Macron’s office initially denied the authenticity of the images, before they were confirmed as genuine.

A close associate of the president later described the incident as a couple’s harmless “squabble”.

Another member of his entourage played down the significance of the incident.

??? À son arrivée au Vietnam, le présidant français, Emmanuel Macron semble avoir été frappé au visage par son épouse, Brigitte Macron

Par la suite Brigitte Macron refuse de prendre le bras que lui tend Emmanuel Macron pour descendre les marches de l’avion pic.twitter.com/kT5j2NXait

— Press TV Français (@fr_presstv) May 26, 2025

“It was a moment when the president and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by joking around,” the second source told reporters.

“It’s a moment of togetherness. No more was needed to feed the mills of the conspiracy theorists,” the source added, blaming pro-Russian accounts for negative comments about the incident.

Vietnam is the first stop on an almost week-long tour of Southeast Asia for Macron where he will pitch France as a reliable alternative to the United States and China.

He will also visit Indonesia and Singapore.