Nairobi, Kenya- On Monday night, as French President Emmanuel Macron touched down in Hanoi for an official state visit, his arrival took an unexpectedly viral turn.
Cameras were rolling as his wife, Brigitte Macron, appeared to slap him in the face at the top of the aircraft stairs.
The video quickly spread across social media, showing what looked like a brief face-push—or a slap, depending on how generous you’re feeling—from Brigitte as they prepared to descend the aircraft steps.
Macron, momentarily startled, tried to keep composure just as the plane doors opened to the waiting Vietnamese delegation.
What followed was even more unusual: Brigitte Macron declined to take her husband’s outstretched hand, and the two descended the stairs separately—definitely not the polished diplomatic protocol we’re used to seeing from the French presidential couple.
According to Le Parisien, aides were quick to douse the online flames, calling the exchange a harmless “small argument” between longtime partners.
Others traveling with the couple described the gesture as “playful” and a moment of “stress relief” ahead of what promises to be a jam-packed Southeast Asian tour.
While the public wondered whether France’s first couple was having a mid-air disagreement or simply being French, presidential advisers chalked the incident up to media manipulation—specifically blaming pro-Russian networks for fueling the fire.
Officials claimed the moment was being weaponized to stir controversy, calling it yet another example of disinformation campaigns targeting Macron.
And this isn’t a one-off. Just two weeks ago, during Macron’s visit to Kyiv with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Russian-linked propaganda channels peddled another bizarre theory—this time, that a napkin on the table was actually a bag of cocaine.
Whether Brigitte joins him hand-in-hand—or keeps things spicy on the stairs—is still to be seen.
But the bigger takeaway? In 2025, a president can prep for geopolitics, but nothing goes more viral than a split-second moment caught on camera. Welcome to the age of diplomacy meets TikTok.
