Macron's office dismisses viral video of wife slapping him, says it was a 'moment of togetherness'
After his handkerchief sent the world into a tizzy making them believe that it was a cocaine pouch, now French President Emmanuel Macron is again seen in a viral video where his wife, Brigitte Macron, appeared to have pushed Macron's face in a manner that looks like she slapped him.
The incident took place Sunday evening as Macron arrived in Vietnam to begin his Southeast Asian tour. In a video shot by the Associated Press in Hanoi, Macom was seen emerging from his plane as he landed. His wife Birgitte's arm then emerged from the left of the door. She placed both her hands on her husband's face and gave it a shove.
Not only were the onlookers surprised, but Macron too was startled enough by what happened and started waving through the door.
His wife remained inside the aircraft, and her expressions could not be read. As the Vietnamese officials welcomed them, they got down the staircase, and Birgitte refused to take her husband's arm though he offered it.
What made the whole episode worse is that Macron's office initially said nothing like that happened on the plane, questioning the authenticity of the video.
But later, they decided to give a different spin to the incident and said the couple just had a moment of togetherness.
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A source close to the president told CNN affiliate BFM YTV that the couple were merely bickering and it was a "moment of togetherness".
'It was a moment when the president and his wife were unwinding one last time before the trip began, playfully teasing each other,' the source told CNN. 'No more was needed to feed the mills of the conspiracy theorists,' the source added.
Earlier this month, Macron was at the heart of a viral fake news story that claimed he was using cocaine aboard a train to Kyiv alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The rumour was fueled by Krimlin's foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova who suggested that the 'viral cocaine scene' shows how dysfunctional Europe is -- including Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom Russia openly calls an addict.
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