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Hanoi, Vietnam – French President Emmanuel Macron addressed an unusual incident with his wife, Brigitte Macron, after they arrived in Vietnam for a Southeast Asian tour on May 26.
A video surfaced showing Brigitte appearing to shove Emmanuel in the face as he prepared to disembark from the presidential plane, prompting media speculation.
In the footage, Brigitte is seen pushing her husband before he steps back momentarily, recovering quickly to wave to onlookers on the tarmac. The couple, married since 2007, then descended the steps together, though Brigitte notably declined to take her husband’s arm.
“I was bickering, or rather joking, with my wife,” Macron told reporters in Hanoi. “It’s nothing.”
He expressed frustration over the incident being sensationalized, cautioning that this was not the first time recent videos of him had been misinterpreted by what he referred to as “crackpots.”
Macron also referenced another instance where social media users speculated he was handling illicit substances.
A video showed him removing a crumpled white object from a table during a train visit to Ukraine. He clarified, “It was a tissue,” and his office accused France’s adversaries of spreading misinformation.
An Elysee official commented on the recent incident, 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.”
Macron’s visit to Vietnam is significant, marking the first time a French president has visited the country in almost a decade. The trip aims to strengthen France’s influence in the former colony as Vietnam navigates its export-driven economy amidst trade negotiations with the U.S.
Vietnam has made concessions in its trade discussions, attempting to avoid a potential 46% tariff on imports.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump recently threatened to impose 50% tariffs on European Union imports but later softened his position, reinstating a July 9 deadline for further talks between Washington and Brussels.
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