French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken out after a viral video appeared to show his wife, Brigitte, slapping him as they arrived in Vietnam. The brief moment, caught on camera before they stepped off the plane, sparked online buzz.
In the clip, Macron stood at the plane’s exit as the door opened. Suddenly, an arm—later revealed to be Brigitte’s—seemed to swipe his face. Seconds later, she emerged behind him in a red blazer, and the couple descended the stairs.
Social media erupted with jokes and speculation. One user wrote, “Did you guys SEE Macron’s wife swat him like a fly?” Another noted he looked “momentarily stunned” before brushing it off.
Macron later dismissed the incident, telling reporters: “We were horsing around and joking.” His office echoed the sentiment, saying it was a private, light-hearted moment taken out of context.
Though the playful exchange went viral, Macron called the reaction overblown: “It becomes a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe.” The couple, married since 2007, continues their Southeast Asia tour unfazed by the internet’s frenzy.
