French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the speculations generated by a video showing his wife, Brigitte Macron, hitting him in the face before getting off the presidential plane in Vietnam.
PUBLICIDAD
The images, widely spread on social media, sparked rumors of a possible domestic dispute, something that the president vehemently denied.
PUBLICIDAD
From Hanoi, Macron clarified to the press: “My wife and I were joking, as we usually do.”
The French leader joked about the exaggerated reaction on social media: “In three weeks, people believe that I shared cocaine, had a confrontation with the Turkish president, and now I am fighting with my wife. None of that is true.”
The images show the couple chatting at the plane’s door when Brigitte gently moves his face away. Upon noticing the cameras, Macron smiles and waves, but then, when he offers his arm to his wife on the stairs, she rejects it.
Initially, the Elysée Palace suggested that the video could have been manipulated with artificial intelligence (AI), but once its authenticity was confirmed, sources close to Macron described it as a “moment of complicity” between the couple.
“It was just a moment of relaxation before starting the tour,” they explained.
The French president is on a week-long visit to Southeast Asia, which includes stops in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore, strengthening diplomatic and commercial ties in the region. Meanwhile, the episode with Brigitte adds to Macron’s list of viral moments, which continue to generate reactions both within and outside of France.