Moment Emmanuel Macron's wife appears to push French president in the face
26 May 2025, 13:55 | Updated: 27 May 2025, 10:22
Emmanuel Macron has played down a video that appeared to show him getting pushed in the face by his wife.
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A video taken as the pair exited their plane after touching down in Vietnam showed Brigitte Macron placing her hands on the President’s face, sparking speculation of a “domestic incident.”
In the clip, Mr Macron steps back, looking shocked, before collecting himself and waving at the camera.
The Elysee initially claimed the images were fake, before later confirming they were in fact legitimate.
When asked about the incident, Mr Macron insisted he was "simply joking with my wife as we often do".
Speaking to French media in Hanoi, he dismissed suggestions there had been a “domestic incident”, accusing online trolls of spouting “nonsense.”
“It was nothing,” he added.
The French president went on to outline his frustration with constantly having to explain himself over videos shared online.
It comes after Russian media falsely accused him and Sir Keir Starmer of sitting at a table with a bag of cocaine.
"I haven't got lots of time to spare," Mr Macron said.
"And yet, I'm spending a lot of time explaining the interpretation of these types of videos.
"It's been three weeks, from Kyiv, to Tirana, and now Hanoi, there are people who have watched videos and believe that I've shared a packet of cocaine, had a head-to-head with the Turkish president, and now that I'm having a domestic with my wife.
"None of these things are true - however the videos are real."
An Elysee spokesperson said: "It was a moment when the president and his wife were relaxing one last time before the start of the trip by having a laugh.”
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