Just joking around: Macron plays down viral video of wife shoving him on plane
French President Emmanuel Macron firmly rejected speculation about a domestic dispute with his wife, Brigitte Macron, after a viral video appeared to show her shoving his face aside as the couple arrived in Vietnam.The clip, which took social media by storm on Monday, captures a moment right after the couple landed in Hanoi, Vietnam. Shortly after the plane doors open, Brigitte (72), who is mostly out of frame with only her hands visible, smacks the President in the face. Macron (47) looks momentarily startled before regaining composure and waving to the cameras.advertisementSpeaking to reporters after the incident, Macron clarified that the moment was being misunderstood.
"My wife and I were squabbling, we were rather joking, and I was taken by surprise," he said.The French leader, who has been married to Brigitte since 2007 after meeting her at his high school where she taught, downplayed the footage and criticised the overreaction."Now it's become a kind of planetary catastrophe, and some are even coming up with theories," he added. Macron attributed the brouhaha over the clip to disinformation efforts aiming to distort what he called a light-hearted moment.He cautioned that this was not the first time in recent weeks that the content of videos of him had been twisted by people he described as "crackpots"."In these three videos I took a tissue, shook someone's hand and just joked with my wife, as we do quite often. Nothing more," the French President said.advertisementHe blamed manipulations on "networks that are quite well-traceable", specifically pointing the finger at "the Russians" and "the extremists in France."Officials from the Elysee Palace echoed his remarks, telling French media the video simply captured "a moment in which the President and his wife were unwinding by goofing about one last time before the start of the trip."Vietnam is the first stop on Macron's tour of Southeast Asia, where he will pitch France as a reliable alternative to the United States and China. It's the first by a French president in almost a decade as he aims to boost France's influence in its former colony.Macron will also visit Indonesia and Singapore.With inputs from AFP, ReutersMust Watch
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