French President Emmanuel Macron has laughed off the social media storm surrounding a now-viral video in which his wife, Brigitte Macron, appears to slap or push his face while the two were exiting a plane in Vietnam. The incident, which sparked a whirlwind of online theories and media commentary, has been described by Macron as nothing more than “joking around” between a long-married couple.
The footage, filmed on May 25 as the presidential couple disembarked in Hanoi, shows President Macron standing at the door of the aircraft, seemingly mid-conversation with someone out of frame. Without warning, two arms in red sleeves extend into the frame and push Macron’s face – covering his mouth and jaw – momentarily startling him. The president stumbles slightly, then regains his composure, smiling and waving to onlookers as his wife Brigitte emerges beside him in a red jacket.
Macron offers her his arm as they prepare to descend the stairs. She casually declines, and the two walk side by side, seemingly unbothered. But what looked like an ordinary exchange to some became fodder for conspiracy theorists and online commentators, who read into the incident everything from marital discord to covert political signals.
Speaking to reporters the next day, Macron expressed both amusement and disbelief at the response.
“There’s a video showing me and my wife bickering and joking, and somehow that becomes a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe,” Macron said. “People are coming up with theories to explain it – as if it’s a code or something ominous.”
Indeed, the internet has become a breeding ground for such speculations, with users dissecting public figures’ body language, interactions, and even facial expressions frame by frame. Macron’s remarks came with an acknowledgment that his recent public appearances – and accompanying viral clips – have attracted unusual levels of scrutiny.
He referenced two other videos that recently sparked online controversy. One shows Macron aboard a train in Ukraine with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The French president is seen briefly cupping his hand over something near his mouth before quickly putting it away, prompting a storm of unfounded speculation about drug use. The Elysee Palace firmly rejected these claims, calling them “baseless and absurd.”
Another moment, captured during the European Political Community summit in Albania, shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gripping Macron’s finger while seated as the French leader stood beside him. Some observers described the move as a subtle display of dominance. Macron, however, dismissed the interpretation.
“A lot of lunatics are spending their days interpreting all these videos,” he said with a smirk.
Initially, the Elysee declined to comment on the Hanoi incident. However, it later issued a light-hearted clarification, describing the moment as “a moment of togetherness.” A source close to the couple told French broadcaster BFM TV that it was simply a bit of bickering between the president and the first lady – a private moment caught on camera and overanalyzed in public.
This is not the first time the Macrons’ relationship has attracted attention – both affectionate and invasive. Their marriage has long been the subject of media fascination, primarily due to the age gap between them. Brigitte Macron is 24 years older than her husband, a fact that has fueled decades of speculation, tabloid gossip, and even conspiracy theories.
The couple met when Emmanuel Macron was a teenager attending Lycée la Providence in Amiens, where Brigitte was his drama teacher. Their romantic relationship began years later, and they married in 2007. Despite their shared public image as a solid and devoted couple, the Macrons have also had to contend with darker rumors. One particularly persistent and malicious theory questions Brigitte Macron’s gender identity – an entirely false claim that the couple has forcefully denied and legally challenged.
This latest episode in Hanoi, however, seems to have been taken more lightly by both of them. Macron’s relaxed demeanor following the face push and his subsequent jokes about the media firestorm suggest he remains unfazed by the attention – or perhaps simply resigned to the reality of living under constant scrutiny.
Still, the viral nature of such videos and the ease with which they become global talking points reveal a more complex challenge for public figures in the digital age. Seemingly mundane moments can be rapidly imbued with unintended meaning, turning what would have once been forgotten in seconds into a weeklong international spectacle.
The obsession with body language and micro-interactions among world leaders is not new, but platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) have dramatically accelerated the speed and scale of such speculation. Dozens of political influencers, amateur body language experts, and content creators now make a living dissecting moments like the Hanoi face-push, offering instant “analysis” to millions.
For Macron, who is no stranger to public opinion swings or controversy, this kind of viral attention may be just another chapter in the surreal life of a modern head of state. His term has seen protests, riots, high-stakes diplomacy, and pandemic management – yet a single push from his wife aboard an airplane captured more global imagination than many of his speeches.
While Macron appears to find the entire episode more humorous than humiliating, it raises a broader point about the boundaries between public and private lives. For politicians – and especially couples in power – every gesture is now potential political theater, whether intentional or not.
As the couple returned to France, the Elysee’s subdued handling of the situation suggests they are choosing to move on quickly. Meanwhile, Macron’s offhand remark about “geo-planetary catastrophes” is likely to enter the lexicon of presidential wit – a reminder that even amid diplomacy and policy crises, nothing grabs attention quite like a moment of unscripted humanity.
For many viewers, the video may have simply confirmed what they already believed about the Macrons: that they are playful, complex, and uniquely unbothered by traditional expectations. But for the ever-churning world of social media, even the briefest interaction remains a Rorschach test for political meaning.
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Jennifer Hicks is a columnist and political commentator writing on a large range of topics.
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