French President Macron plays down apparent shove from wife in Vietnam

France’s President Emmanuel Macron was pushed in the face by his wife, Brigitte Macron, because the couple arrived in Vietnam to start a tour of Southeast Asia at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam, on May 25, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

French President Emmanuel Macron performed down on Monday (May 26, 2025) an incident in which his wife, Brigitte, pushed him in the face because the couple arrived in Vietnam to start a tour of Southeast Asia.

In a video, Brigitte Macron appeared to shove her husband earlier than he descended from the presidential airplane late on Sunday (May 25, 2025), inflicting him to step again earlier than he recovered and waved to the cameras on the tarmac under.

She remained momentarily hidden behind the airplane’s fuselage, blocking any view of her physique language. The couple, who’ve been married since 2007, then descended the steps collectively, with Ms. Brigitte refusing her husband’s arm.

“I was bickering, or rather joking, with my wife,” Mr. Macron informed reporters in Hanoi. “It’s nothing.”

He cautioned that this was not the primary time in current weeks that the content material of movies of him had been twisted by folks he described as “crackpots”.

Mr. Macron cited a video shared on social media that confirmed him eradicating a crumpled white object from a desk on a prepare throughout a go to to Ukraine. Some social media customers advised — with out offering proof — that the thing was a bag of cocaine. Mr. Macron stated it was a tissue and his workplace accused France’s enemies of spreading pretend information.

Earlier on Monday (May 26, 2025), an Elysee official stated of the most recent video: “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 official added.

Mr. Macron’s go to to Vietnam, the primary by a French President in nearly a decade, comes as he goals to spice up France’s affect in its former colony.

Vietnam, which has a closely export-driven financial system, has made concessions to the U.S. in commerce talks in a bid to keep away from 46% tariffs. But Brussels has considerations that Vietnam’s efforts to purchase extra American items might come at Europe’s expense.

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Friday (May 23, 2025) to impose 50% tariffs on imports from the European Union however softened his stance two days later, restoring a July 9 deadline for talks between Washington and Brussels.