French President Emmanuel Macron was “slapped” by Lady Brigitte at Hanoi airport

The video appears to show a scuffle between President Macron and his wife, Brigitte, causing intense speculation and a fever on social media.

On Sunday night (May 25), French President Emmanuel Macron arrived at Hanoi Airport, Vietnam, starting a trip to Southeast Asia. However, instead of his diplomatic delegation becoming the headline, a viral video drew widespread attention. The video appears to show a scuffle between Mr. Macron and his wife, Brigitte, causing intense speculation and a fever on social media. This unexpected moment quickly overshadowed the purpose of his visit, diverting attention from important diplomatic negotiations to the personal relationship of the French president’s couple. 
Photos on social networks X show President Macron’s feelings after the moment of being thought to be slapped by the lady in the eye just before getting out of the plane.

French President Macron caused a fever after a tense moment with his wife

In the viral video, President Macron stood outside the plane door and his wife turned his back to him. The exchange seemed tense. When the plane door opened, it was possible to see Mrs. Brigitte reach out and, in a gesture understood by the observers as a slap, seemed to have touched her husband’s mouth. Mr. Macron responded immediately by facing the camera and waving before the couple went down the plane stairs. Mr. Macron nodded to Mrs. Brigitte in a way that tried to cover up that awkward moment.

#BreakingNews (but also kind of slapping):

In a plot twist no one saw coming — not even Macron — the French President Emmanuel #Macron‘s husband slapped him in the face.

Macron’s reaction after being slapped. pic.twitter.com/N83VerFQJ9

— ArshadAyyub (@mgarshad142) May 26, 2025

The video sparked a storm on social media immediately, diverting attention away from Mr. Macron’s diplomatic agenda. The President’s visit to Vietnam aims to strengthen France’s own power in this region – of the former French colony – but the majority of the discussion table is spread around the airport event. The media and internet users quickly made grounded conjectures about the nature of the exchange between Mr. Macron and his wife. Is that an argument that has gone too far? Or just a misunderstood gesture? 

Mr. Macron’s group called the spread incident a misunderstanding

An insider close to Macron’s team tried to downplay the incident, reporting that the incident was exaggerated by what they described as “pro-Russian groups”. “It was the moment when the President and his wife were having a little entertainment for the last time before starting the trip by laughing. It was an intimate moment ”, This officer confirmed.

A second source also reiterated those words to Metro, noting that it was just “joke a little bit ” between the couple and not a sign of controversy. Mr. Macron’s faction believes that conspiracy theories are taking advantage of the video to create unfounded stories.

Mr. Macron and his wife faced rumors of constant spread

This is the first time that both the President of France and the lady have been at the heart of the rumors spreading around the president’s lady long before the most recent incident in Hanoi. There is even a rumor that there is no evidence that Brigitte is a transgender – what President Macron has criticized is stigmatizing women and fabricating.