Bizarre moment Macron slapped by wife Brigitte after pair were ‘bickering’ | World | News

This is the shocking moment Emmanuel Macron’s wife, Brigitte, slapped the French President after the two were reportedly seen “bickering.” The couple were preparing to disembark the presidential plane when Brigitte’s hands hit Macron in the face as they arrived in Vietnam for a tour in Southeast Asia.

The Élysée first denied the footage before confirming the news, calling it “playful teasing.” A source close to Macron called it a “harmless scuffle” and blamed the negative reaction on “pro-Russian circles.” An official from the Macron team said: “It was a moment when the president and his wife were relaxing one last time before the start of the trip by having a laugh. It was a moment of closeness.”

Video of the incident appears to show a shocked President Macron nod towards the aircraft door after he was struck, in an apparent indication to his wife of nearly 20 years that there would be cameras watching them.

The video then pans away from the aircraft door to the cockpit of the plane where the pilot is flying a French flag from the window.

President Macron, 47, touches his face before giving a wave towards the waiting media and officials as his 72-year-old wife, wearing a smart red blazer, takes position behind him as they begin to exit the plane.

The couple then begin to descend the airstairs side-by-side to the concrete of the runway, but noticeably the President and his wife do not hold hands as they walk down, with Brigitte preferring to use the handrail rather than clasp the palm of her beloved.

President Macron was just 15 when he began a relationship his future wife more than 30 years ago. She was then a mother-of-three and his French literature teacher.

The bizarre spectacle of Brigitte appearing to strike her husband, which has since gone viral, makes for an uncomfortable distraction for the French President who is touring Southeast Asia in a bid to increase trade and diplomatic ties.

Beginning his tour in Vietnam, a former French colony, Mr Macron called for closer cooperation between the two nations.

The Vietnamese fought against France in a bloody war of independence in the 1950s. The conflict eventually led to the United States becoming involved, sparking the Vietnam War, where the US-backed south of Vietnam fought against the communist north. In 1975, communist forces took control of the south and the war ended with defeat for the West.

Speaking during his visit on Monday, Mr Macron emphasised the need for “an order based on law” at a time of ”both great imbalance and a return to power-driven rhetoric and intimidation.”

He next heads to Indonesia and Singapore.

The visit comes amid trade tensions, with the US threatening steep tariffs on goods from Europe. Vietnamese imports to the United States were hit with 46% tariffs — among the highest rates applied to any country — in April.

President Macron signed more than a dozen agreements on defence, nuclear power and trade, including one with the Vietnamese budget airline company VietJet and Airbus to buy 20 A330-900 planes.

He paid tribute at a Hanoi war memorial to those who fought the French colonial rulers and met with his counterpart Luong Cuong, as well as Communist Party general secretary To Lam.