French President Emmanuel Macron’s carefully choreographed Southeast Asia tour hit unexpected turbulence this week—before the diplomatic handshakes even began.
As he stepped off his presidential plane in Hanoi on Sunday night, Macron appeared to get slapped or shoved by none other than his wife, Brigitte Macron, in full view of cameras. The moment, awkward and unscripted, was caught on video and quickly exploded across social media, sending the Elysee Palace into a spin cycle of damage control.
Macron’s ’wife’ gets caught slapping him … 👀
Via @GBNEWS pic.twitter.com/3lplhYN9Do
— Adam Brooks AKA EssexPR 🇬🇧 (@EssexPR) May 26, 2025
The footage shows President Macron, smiling and preparing for his usual stately wave, suddenly jolted by Brigitte’s hand. His expression morphs from shock to a forced grin in a matter of seconds, while she continues walking, unfazed. Was it a slap? A shove? A warning tap? The internet has theories—and none of them are helpful to Macron’s already shaky image.
The Elysee’s initial response? Classic denial. They claimed the footage was doctored, fake news, Russian disinformation—the usual bag of tricks. But within hours, as multiple media outlets authenticated the video, they pivoted to a new story: it was a “moment of closeness.”
Yes, according to a government spokesperson, the bizarre altercation was just “playful teasing” between a loving couple decompressing after a long flight. One aide told Le Monde the Macrons were “joking around,” adding, “It’s a moment of togetherness.” Seriously.
Another official, speaking anonymously to Agence France-Presse, described the scene as a “harmless squabble” that the president’s critics—particularly those “pro-Russian accounts”—were weaponizing unfairly. So now it’s not just a domestic spat on the tarmac; it’s geopolitical sabotage?
Regardless of the spin, the optics are terrible. Macron was in Vietnam to launch a charm offensive and assert France as a “reliable alternative” to American and Chinese influence in Southeast Asia. Instead, headlines around the world focused on the slap—or nudge, or whatever it was—that he took to the face before uttering a single word to Vietnamese officials.
It’s hardly the first time Brigitte Macron’s body language has raised eyebrows. Over the years, eagle-eyed observers have noted her sometimes curt interactions with her husband, prompting whispers that the first couple’s dynamic is less “romantic French power duo” and more “stern schoolteacher meets exasperated student.” (She was, after all, his teacher.)
In the end, maybe the Macrons really were just horsing around. But when you’re trying to sell yourself as a serious global statesman, getting publicly swatted by your spouse isn’t exactly the way to start the sales pitch.