A video of Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, getting shoved by his wife, Brigitte Macron, has emerged, shocking the international community.
Macron has landed in Vietnam for the start of his Southeast Asia tour, but a squabble on the plane has taken attention away from his diplomatic mission.
Shortly after the aeroplane doors were opened, Macron appeared to speak to his wife, who was standing near the cockpit entrance.
Suddenly, his wife Brigitte’s hands reached out and appeared to smack the French president’s mouth.
Macron appears momentarily surprised but quickly regains his composure and waves to the press outside.
As the couple descend the steps, Macron offers Brigitte his arm, which she does not take, opting instead to hold the railing.
Macron’s team initially denied the authenticity of the image before they were later confirmed as genuine.
Upon confirmation that the video was real, those who work closely with the couple played it down as a “little fun” between the couple.
They said: “It was a moment for the President and his wife to unwind one last time before the start of the trip by having a little fun.”
“It’s a moment of togetherness. No more was needed to feed the mills of the conspiracy theorists,” they added.
The incident has been condemned online, and body language expert Judi James told Metro the exchange was “unthinkable”.
Judi James said: “You do not push your partner in the face so hard with your hands, literally touching their face and nose so hard that their head wheels away from you.
“That wouldn’t be a fun gesture in anyone’s books. If she’d been standing where he was and his hand had come out and done that to her, the word fun wouldn’t remotely apply.
“I don’t see any giggling or any other signs of what would be called play fighting being exchanged. He had to literally get his balance back,” she added.
After the exchange, Ms James noted that the pair had “no physical touch” while walking down the stairs, and Brigitte had her face hidden by her hair.
“Could you imagine if Trump had stood in the door of that plane and Melania’s hand came out and pushed his face that hard? It would have been unthinkable.
“This needs to be taken seriously, but I would imagine that he’ll go to every length to cover it up, but it’s not a very good indication of what goes on behind the scenes,” she said.
There is a 25-year age gap between Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte.
Emmanuel Macron was just 15 when he began a relationship with the then-married mother-of-three Brigitte, who was 40 at the time, and teaching drama at La Providence high school in Amiens, northern France.
Watch a video of the slap below.
Imagine for one moment if Macron pushed his wife in the face like this? Imagine!! Domestic abuse against men is common and widely ignored. All violence is unacceptable. pic.twitter.com/iQeN6Eumcg
— Nick Buckley MBE (@NickBuckleyMBE) May 26, 2025
