French President Emmanuel Macron has dismissed speculation around a viral video showing his wife, Brigitte Macron, seemingly pushing him away as they landed in Vietnam, saying the couple was simply joking.
The footage, which quickly gained attention in France, captured the first lady placing both hands on Macron’s face — one over his mouth and nose, the other on his jaw — just as the airplane door opened in Hanoi on Sunday.
Macron briefly turned his head, then smiled and waved after noticing the camera.
French media, including Le Parisien, speculated over the exchange, with headlines questioning whether it was a "slap or squabble." Macron addressed the buzz on Monday, saying the moment was exaggerated and taken out of context.
“We were just joking,” he told reporters. “People are blowing this up as if it’s some global catastrophe.”
The president, who met Brigitte when she was his high school drama teacher, said the couple was sharing a lighthearted moment before beginning their Southeast Asia tour.
His office echoed the explanation, calling it a moment of "playful bonding" that conspiracy theorists had seized on.
Brigitte, dressed in red, later descended the airplane stairs beside her husband, opting not to take his offered arm.
Macron also used the incident to highlight how easily misinformation can spread in the digital era, urging the public to “calm down” over the harmless exchange.
