Hanoi, Vietnam — French President Emmanuel Macron has downplayed an awkward moment that went viral after his wife, Brigitte Macron, appeared to push him in the face as they arrived in Vietnam to begin a tour of Southeast Asia.
In a widely shared video clip, Brigitte is seen giving her husband a shove just as he was about to descend the steps of the presidential plane late Sunday. The unexpected gesture caused Macron to briefly step back before regaining his composure and waving to cameras on the tarmac. Brigitte remained briefly out of sight behind the fuselage, and later declined to take her husband’s offered arm as they descended the stairs together.
Speaking to reporters in Hanoi on Monday, Macron dismissed the incident. “I was bickering, or rather joking, with my wife,” he said. “It’s nothing.”
He went on to caution against the misrepresentation of such moments, pointing to recent examples of video footage being taken out of context by online conspiracy theorists. One such video, from a recent trip to Ukraine, showed Macron removing a crumpled white object from a table on a train. Social media users falsely suggested it was a bag of cocaine. Macron clarified that it was simply a tissue, and his office later accused France’s adversaries of spreading disinformation.
An Elysée Palace official echoed Macron’s sentiment, stating, “It was a moment when the president and his wife were relaxing one last time before the start of the trip by having a laugh. It was a moment of closeness.”
The viral moment has overshadowed the start of Macron’s diplomatic tour, which marks the first visit by a French president to Vietnam in nearly a decade. The trip comes at a crucial time as France seeks to strengthen its influence in the region, particularly in its former colony.
Vietnam, whose economy relies heavily on exports, has been adjusting its trade policies in favor of the U.S. in hopes of avoiding steep tariffs of up to 46%. However, the European Union has voiced concern that these concessions could come at the expense of European interests.
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, U.S. President Donald Trump recently threatened to impose 50% tariffs on EU imports, though he softened his stance days later and reinstated a July 9 deadline for further negotiations between Washington and Brussels.
Despite the viral buzz, Macron’s Southeast Asia tour continues as planned, with his team emphasizing diplomacy over distractions.
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