The French President slapped by his wife: He breaks his silence

On 26 May, the French head of state travelled to Vietnam to begin his diplomatic visit to Southeast Asia. For this trip, he was accompanied by his wife Brigitte Macron.

Barely had the tour begun when the presidential couple sparked controversy on social media. The reason? A video showing Brigitte Macron slapping her husband as they were disembarking from their plane at Hanoi airport. Taken aback, the French president quickly turned to greet the people waiting outside the aircraft.

As the footage shows, while the couple was stepping onto the stairs leading to the tarmac, Emmanuel Macron extended his arm towards his wife, who didn't take his hand, according to media Demotivateur.

This filmed scene caused a real outcry on social media. On X (formerly Twitter), one could read: “Macron is being attacked by Brigitte before getting off the plane during his ongoing visit to Vietnam”; “Is he a battered man?”

Just a quarrel

Soon after, a close acquaintance of the French president tried to calm internet users by explaining that it was only “a moment of complicity” and a “trivial squabble”. “It was a moment when the president and his wife were unwinding one last time before the start of the trip, messing about,” explained the same source.

At the same time, Emmanuel Macron himself wanted to address the incident at a press briefing: “We were quarrelling, and actually just joking around with my wife (…) I was just joking with my wife, as we often do.” And he added a warning: “I see a lot of nutters spending their days on these videos, making up interpretations. Everyone needs to calm down (…) I say this calmly.”

(MH with Olivia Stasse - Source: Demotivateur - Picture: ©picture alliance / Anadolu | Eko Siswono Toyudho)