Latest news with #Elysee
Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Watch: Macron mocks ‘slap' by wife with cheeky wave
Facing a whirlwind of rumours after a video captured what was later dubbed Le Slapgate, the Macrons have seemingly responded with a moment of self-deprecation. Just before leaving the presidential plane, this time arriving in Indonesia, President Macron gave an ironic wave on Tuesday night — in what appeared to be a response to the 'crackpots' and 'loonies' who claimed that he had been shoved in the face by his wife. As the plane door opens, only his hand can be seen waving, before he appears in front of the cameras in Jakarta laughing. He is then joined by his smiling wife Brigitte, who takes Macron's arm, and they walk down the steps arm in arm. A presidential spin doctor said the wave was intended as a gesture of 'self-derision', although France Info radio station said it could be considered to be 'provocation'. The gesture came after the first lady pushed her hands into her husband's face as they prepared to leave the French presidential aeroplane in Vietnam on the first leg of their Asian tour this week. Her push, caught by television cameras, ignited speculation that the couple were in the midst of a row when the aeroplane door opened. As they walked down the steps from the plane in Vietnam, the first lady appeared to refuse to take her husband's arm. The Elysée initially claimed the video was a fake before accepting that it was genuine, but saying that it had been misinterpreted. Speaking to reporters in Hanoi, Macron angrily dismissed claims he had been filmed in the midst of domestic spat. He said he and his wife had been 'larking around, or joking and I was taken by surprise. And it has become some kind of planetary catastrophe.' He said the theories were being spread by malicious Russian social media accounts, which had also promoted fake reports that he had been caught with cocaine and engaged in a trial of strength during a handshake with President Erdogan of Turkey in recent weeks. Macron said there were 'a lot of accounts, anonymous or not … including media commentators who have explained that I am undertaking the diplomacy of a beaten man. That tells you what crackpots they are.' He added: 'There are a lot of loonies who spend their days … interpreting these videos.' His arrival in Indonesia seemed designed to underline his point.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Moment Macron tries to laugh off ‘disturbing' Brigitte slap in mocking wave as he steps off plane arm in arm with wife
THIS is the strange moment Emmanuel Macron appeared to laugh off the now viral incident when his wife "slapped" him on board a plane. The French president's hand creeps round the corner of his jet's entrance for a brief, mocking wave as he prepares to be welcomed to Indonesia. 3 3 After a brief moment, he walks out into full view at the top of the plane's stairs - the exact same spot as the "shoving" incident a few days earlier. But this time, he locks arms with his wife Brigitte as they head out to greet officials. Macron gives the cameras a thumbs up as the couple begin to descend the stairs. It was all carefully staged to laugh off Monday's incident, officials have told The Telegraph. The shocking moment saw Macron appearing to be shoved in the face by his wife as they prepared to disembark in Hanoi, Vietnam. It came just as the plane door was being opened, with the president appearing to only notice a second later that the push was in plain view. He then gives an awkward quick wave to the crowd before darting out of sight. To start with the Elysée tried to suggest the footage was fake or AI generated. Officials would later concede the clip was real, but said it was actually a sign of the couple's "closeness". Macron later attacked "crackpot" conspiracy theorists who claimed it showed strain in his marriage to Brigitte. Bizarre moment Emmanuel Macron is SLAPPED by his wife Brigitte while 'bickering' as they got off plane in Vietnam He told reporters in Hanoi that they had been "joking around, as we do quite often". An aide added: "It was a moment when the president and his wife were unwinding one last time before the start of the trip by having a laugh - it was a moment of complicity." This is why the couple's arrival in Indonesia is reported to have been intricately planned in a bid to dispel rumours around their relationship. It all transpired while Macron was on a week-long tour of South East Asia in a drive to improve regional ties. Macron's wife Brigitte, 72, is nearly 25 years the French president's senior. They famously met when he was just 15 years old, as she had been one of his schoolteachers. What does the body language say? Our body language expert Judi James takes a look at the shocking moment Macron appears to be slapped by his wife. Judi said: "I find it shocking that they've attempted to explain it by saying that it was just play, just a couple letting off steam. "Her hand comes out and presses against his face, and if anybody wants to try this on themselves, you'll feel how vulnerable it makes you feel. "Macron looks rather shocked. We can see later on, if we look at a close up of his hand, we can see that it's bored into a fist. The knuckles look white - so clearly a lot of pent up tension. "These are veterans of being on the world stage. "They know that when the plane lands, if they did want to have a little bit of fun and laughter, they would do it before they got to the plane door. "When we see them emerging, there's this attempt to sort of do a glow up, to pretend that nothing happened. "That's not normal body language behaviour in any relationship. I find it very worrying, as well as disturbing." The couple would marry more than a decade later when he was 29 and she was 54 years. Emmanuel Macron would be elected President of France 10 years later, becoming the youngest person ever to hold the office. Reflecting on the "slap" moment, Macron also noted that other viral videos featuring him have featured outright disinformation. This included reference to a fake claim that a video taken on the way to Kyiv showed he had a bag of cocaine with him. He said people "have thought I shared a bag of cocaine, tussled with the Turkish president, now that I'm having a domestic dispute with my wife." "None of this is true. Everyone needs to calm down," Macron added.
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Macron mocks Brigitte ‘shove' on arrival in Indonesia
Emmanuel Macron mocked the 'shoving' incident with his wife Brigitte as he departed the presidential plane in Indonesia on Wednesday. The French president stuck one hand out for the cameras, performing a tongue-in-cheek wave, before appearing at the top of the stairs, laughing. Instead of a shove, after a few seconds of suspense, Mrs Macron appeared, all smiles. The couple then locked arms, Mr Macron gave a thumbs up, and they descended the stairs side-by-side to greet officials. The departure was deliberately staged to make light of Monday's apparent squabble, sources said. Mr and Mrs Macron sparked a global furore after footage showed the French first lady raising her hand and pushing her husband's face, moments before they exited their plane in Hanoi, Vietnam. The Elysée initially suggested it was fake, AI-generated footage, only to later admit the images were real but were in fact a sign of 'closeness' and horseplay after a 16-hour flight. Mr Macron later blamed 'crackpot' conspiracy theorists for seeking to intensify speculation around the state of his marriage. In a fresh bid to quell continued speculation that the couple had fallen out, they chose to play up their departure from the presidential plane in Jakarta on Wednesday. A member of Mr Macron's entourage told France Info that the sequence was a deliberate send-up. 'Yes, they wanted to respond with self-deprecation,' the source was cited as saying. It was 'a gesture that will be seen as humorous by some... and provocative by others', suggested the state radio station. The spoof came hours after Mr Macron's communications team was reportedly in disarray over the 'shove', with splits reportedly emerging on how to handle the incident. The panicked reaction, and about-turn, reflected simmering 'tensions within the Elysée's communications unit', according to France Info. One Macron ally told the channel that the Elysée 'ballsed up' by first talking about fake images. Another insisted that they had to act quickly, adding: 'When they don't, it turns into the conspiracy theory sphere. We're in a world where there's a need for clarity so as not to let crazy stuff flourish.' Mr Macron shrugged off the incident, saying: 'My wife and I were squabbling, or rather we were joking, and I was taken by surprise. Now it has become a kind of planetary catastrophe, and some are even coming up with theories.' But Jean-Claude Dassier, a Europe1 commentator, bemoaned a 'catastrophic' PR reaction over what for him was 'clearly a row', but not an affair of state. 'Why haven't we heard from Brigitte?' he asked. 'For once, it would have been useful to have her plain and simple explanation.' Meanwhile, Olga Ciesco, a body language expert, insisted the initial incident was a dispute of some kind. While not a 'slap', the shove was 'a gesture of rejection,' she told the celebrity magazine Gala. 'She puts her hand on his cheek and pushes him to the point where he is forced to turn his head,' she said. 'He was rejected, a kind of rebuff. 'We can also see that he is reaching out to his wife, because he is used to supporting her, out of gallantry. But she doesn't take his hand, she doesn't accept his help. She is clearly saying no.'
Russia Today
4 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Macron has been slapped in the face in more ways than one
French President Emmanuel Macron went to Vietnam to ink some massive deals – like a €9 billion Airbus order, which was supposed to be the centerpiece of the trip. But before he could even set foot on Vietnamese soil, as the plane's hatch opened, his wife Brigitte was caught on camera doing what can only be described as a vertical push-up right on Macron's face. At first glance, it looked like perhaps she was just trying to set the vibe for the visit, with a reenactment of what happened to the French the last time they got a little too confident in Vietnam. In any case, suddenly this image of the presidential couple had everyone zooming in like it was a lost Da Vinci. Cue the Elysee's damage control. First: It's a deepfake. Then: The Russians did it. And finally: Okay fine, it's real, but it's just two people 'decompressing.' Let the one among us who's never 'unwound' by shoving our spouse in the face cast the first baguette. Final answer? Apparently so. A moment of complicity between longtime partners. Like a secret handshake. To the face. By the way, do the Elysee flaks themselves also count as conspiracy theorists? They're the ones who cycled through every possible scapegoat short of blaming climate change – until they realized the Americans had the raw footage too. Of course this slapstick moment didn't make it into the glossy PR reel, which also featured Macron and his wife descending from the presidential plane. He appeared to gallantly offer her an arm as they deplaned – which she promptly ignored. His other hand formed a fist. For whom? Who knows. But France should probably duck. 'France is a power of peace and balance,' Macron wrote above the promotional video on X. it would have been a hard sell posting that directly above a video that starts with him catching a couple of 'peaceful' palms straight to the jaw. 'When some choose to withdraw, France chooses to build bridges,' he added. Sure, but it kind of looked like you withdrew to the other side of the cabin, my guy. Weird? Well, maybe to the peasants. But apparently, it's completely normal for the presidential couple to throw hands whenever someone cracks a joke. 'It's not even a slap…it's a gesture that mimics a punch in the face. We've seen this sketch 100 times, it's their way of decompressing before official performances,' explained a source described by Le Parisien as 'close to' Macron. So, their opening act for a show of diplomacy on the world stage is something that looks like it was cribbed from a Three Stooges sketch? Alrighty then. In instances where you and I may laugh, these two just go full Rocky and Adrian, minus the gloves. You know they do have gloves though. We've already seen them used for Macron's boxing photo shoots. The ones that absolutely are not meant to show how he's going to personally fight Russian President Vladimir Putin. That is, if he ever gets past Brigitte in round one. Macron later expressed frustration with everyone trying to decode what he insists is totally standard behavior. 'We are teasing each other and having a bit of fun with my wife. I am surprised by this. It becomes a kind of... geoplanetary catastrophe where some are even developing theories, and I see a lot of crazy people spending their day explaining all these interpretations in videos,' Macron explained. 'There are people who watched videos and think that I shared a bag of cocaine, that I had a one-on-one with the Turkish president, and that right now, I am in the process of having a quarrel with my wife. None of this is true, yet these three videos are real.' Oh, yeah – the napkin on the train to Ukraine that some folks mistook for a bag of cocaine. Maybe because Macron's face looked a bit red as he snatched it up when the media walked in. Almost forgot about that one. Thanks for the reminder. Indeed, who hasn't casually left a used Kleenex just sitting in the middle of the table with other folks. It's a wonder that no one has yet speculated that Brigitte wasn't just trying to give Macron one last hit of Kleenex before he stepped out of the plane. One for the road, as it were. As for the 'one-on-one' with Erdogan? That's a stretch. Macron's flattering himself. It was more of a one-on-none. Erdogan held Macron's finger like he was selecting a baguette from a Parisian bakery. If dignity were Kleenex, Macron would have struggled to blow his nose on what was left – let alone use it for his next Kleenex Rorschach Test. Yes, Macron technically came to Vietnam to ink major defense and aerospace deals in a power move to reassert France's relevance in the Indo-Pacific, counterbalance China, and show that France can still punch above its weight (even without Brigitte's spontaneous contribution). But between the bungled PR, the conspiracy fodder, and Erdogan's diplomatic wedgie, it's hard to tell if Macron's trips are actual diplomacy – or rather just episodes of reality TV with an unlimited travel budget.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
'Why hasn't Brigitte said anything?' 'Catastrophic' handling of slap video sparks chaos within Macron's press team as the couple put a brave face on in Indonesia... with president's wife still yet to
Emmanuel Macron's press team have come under fire for their 'catastrophic' handling of a viral video clip that showed the First Lady appearing to slap the president after they touched down in Vietnam for a state visit. Shocking footage taken on Sunday evening, shows the French President's plane door opening to reveal him before his wife Brigitte places both hands on her husband's face and gives it a shove. Macron's communications team were overwhelmed by the furore triggered by the video and tried to claim it was an AI-generated fake before admitting it was genuine just hours later. However Elysee officials still denied the couple were having a spat and instead said they were simply 'having a laugh' in a 'moment of closeness'. Their knee-jerk reaction sent the rumour mill into overdrive, with state radio channel France Info claiming it reflected 'simmering tensions within the Elysee's communications unit'. Now questions are being raised over why Brigitte hasn't waded in to calm the waters and offer a simple explanation for what really happened. French journalist Jean-Claude Dassier bemoaned a 'catastrophic' response from Macron's PR team over what was 'clearly a row' but not an affair of state. Emmanuel Macron's press team have been blasted for their 'Catastrophic' handling of a viral video clip that showed the First Lady appearing to slap him after they touched down in Vietnam for a state visit Shocking footage taken on Sunday evening, shows the French President's plane door opening to reveal him before his wife Brigitte places both hands on her husband's face and gives it a shove Macron's communications team were overwhelmed by the furore triggered by the video and tried to claim it was an AI-generated fake before admitting it was genuine just hours later. Pictured: French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte arrive at Hanoi University of Science and Technology Pictured: Macron arriving in Jakarta, Indonesia yesterday as he continues his South East Asian tour France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto shake hands during a press briefing at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on May 28 Brigitte Macron kisses her husband's face as they received by Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto at Merdeka Palace today He also added: 'Why haven't we heard from Brigitte? For once it would have been useful to have her plain and simple explanation'. It comes after the couple put on a brave face and beamed at the camera as they arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia to start a tour of Southeast Asia today. Yesterday the pair were seen arm in arm as the president arrived at Hanoi University of Science and Technology, in Vietnam, to deliver a speech. The visit came hours after Mr Macron said 'crackpot' conspiracy theorists were working to intensify speculation around the state of his marriage. They were later clasping one another's hands as they boarded their plane to depart Vietnam for Indonesia and continue their South East Asian tour. In comments to reporters, Macron pointed out that he had recently been falsely accused of doing cocaine with fellow European leaders Sir Keir Starmer and Germany's Friedrich Merz, and of having a physical altercation with Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 'My wife and I were squabbling, we were rather joking, and I was taken by surprise,' Mr Macron told reporters in Vietnam on Monday evening. Now it has 'become a kind of planetary catastrophe, and some are even coming up with theories. 'For three weeks, there have been people who have watched videos and who think that I shared a bag of cocaine, that I had a mano-a-mano with a Turkish president and now that I am having a domestic dispute with my wife. Elysee officials denied the couple were having a spat and instead said they were simply 'having a laugh' in a 'moment of closeness'. Their knee-jerk reaction sent the rumour mill into overdrive, with state radio channel France Info claiming it reflected 'simmering tensions within the Elysee's communications unit'. Pictured: Emmanuel Macron (R) and his wife Brigitte Macron (L) France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron wave as they board their plane for departure following their visit to Vietnam '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. 'None of this is true… so everyone needs to calm down.' But some Parisians appear to disagree, and are struggling to see the humour in the interaction. Speaking to MailOnline, Paris resident Julie Galbardini said: 'I'm very shocked about it because he represents France. I don't understand what happened. 'I don't think it was a joke because I [saw] the reaction of the president, and I don't think it's a joke. 'French women don't do that on camera.' Another Parisian, Victoria Nakache said that the interaction between President Macron and his wife 'completely shocked' her. The latest object of speculation was generated by the French First Lady on Sunday, moments after the French presidential jet touched down in Vietnam. Shocking video of the incident shot by the Associated Press news agency in Hanoi showed the French President standing on his plane in an open doorway before making his way down the stairs. French President Emmanuel Macron (C) and his wife Brigitte Macron (2-R) and Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan (2-L) pose for a photo as they visit the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi Macron cautioned that this was not the first time in recent weeks that the content of videos of him had been twisted by people He appeared to be in conversation with someone in the cabin who was obscured from view. That person was quickly revealed to be Brigitte Macron, who planted her hands on her husband's face and shoved him. The president was startled but quickly realised he was in full view of TV cameras and turned to wave through the open plane door. The couple then proceeded down the staircase for the official welcome by Vietnamese officials, though Mrs Macron did not take her husband's offered arm. Macron's office initially denied the authenticity of the images, suggesting they had been AI-generated - but later pulled a U-turn and admitted they were genuine. A close associate of the president later described the incident as a couple's harmless 'squabble'.
