Let’s set the record straight—because the narrative is already off the rails.
What the media is casually describing as a “slap” or “smack” from Brigitte Macron to her husband, French President Emmanuel Macron, upon their arrival in Hanoi is wildly inaccurate.
What actually happened?
A double-handed shove—directly to his face.
Watch the Footage. Slowly. Carefully.
Both of Brigitte’s arms are visible in the frame. You can clearly see both her left and right hands on his face. Zoom in, and you’ll even notice she’s wearing a watch—or some kind of jewelry.
Viewers instantly caught the significance:
“Okay, this is how fights between guys start.”
A slap is symbolic—a kind of reprimand, often theatrical, even performative.
A two-handed shove to the face? That’s not symbolic. That’s calculated. That’s street fight 101.
And yes, Brigitte looked furious.
Macron’s Reaction: A Psychological Meltdown in Real-Time
Let’s talk about Macron’s response, because honestly? It deserves to be studied.
You can literally watch him short-circuit:
Step 1: He processes the physical contact.
“Wait… am I about to fight a grown man?”
Step 2: Before he can even react to that, a bigger problem dawns—
The lights. The cameras. The international press. They’re all watching.
Look at his face. That’s pure crisis mode.
You’ve seen this expression before—guy talks tough, gets hit, panics, then grabs his stuff like:
“Let’s get out of here.”
And just when you think it can’t get more absurd…
The Élysée Palace Responds — A Masterclass in Gaslighting
Brigitte is still visibly upset. The plane door opens unexpectedly.
Macron—ever the actor—instantly switches into performance mode. He extends his arm toward Brigitte, like:
“Let’s pretend everything’s fine for the cameras.”
But Brigitte’s not having it. She’s not playing along. She’s big mad.
The “Arthur Meme” Moment
As they descend the stairs, watch Macron’s left hand.
He balls it into a fist—the Arthur meme fist.
The comic figure Arthur clenches his fist, just like Emmanuel—but one is drawn, and the other is real (screenshot YouTube)
It’s the classic tell of someone fighting to keep it together, physically restraining himself from reacting.
And the world watches:
A Western president gets shoved in the face by his spouse—and his government lies about it.
The Cover-Up Begins
Step 1: Blame Russia
The Élysée’s first official explanation?
Yes, seriously. The go-to scapegoat.
Blame Putin. Blame AI. Blame Russian propaganda.
They claimed the footage was “generated by artificial intelligence” and “amplified by Russian actors.”
But here’s the problem:
The video was shot by the Associated Press.
You think Putin deepfaked AP footage?
Even he must be laughing at that one.
Step 2: The Lie Falls Apart
A journalist informs the Élysée:
“These aren’t AI images. They were taken by the Associated Press.”
Cue the panic.
Suddenly, the narrative from the presidential palace changes:
“It was a moment of decompression. They were horsing around. A moment of complicity.”
Complicity?
What does that even mean in this context?
“Let’s decompress by shoving each other in the face on the tarmac?”
Let’s apply some logic here.
They’ve just endured a 12-hour flight from Paris to Hanoi, with a layover in Abu Dhabi. Exhausted. Jet-lagged.
Are we really supposed to believe that Macron turns to Brigitte and says:
“Hey babe, wanna roughhouse for the cameras?”
No.
That’s not how couples behave.
And definitely not how senior citizen heads of state behave.
Step 3: Gaslighting the Public
Now they’re telling the public:
“Don’t believe your own eyes.”
Macron doubles down with reporters:
“We were squabbling. I was joking with my wife. I’m surprised by this reaction. It’s become some sort of geopolitical catastrophe. Everyone needs to calm down and focus on the real news.”
You almost have to admire the commitment to the lie.
The face that looked like he’d just been slapped into next week?
“Just surprise. Nothing to see here. Move along.”
Step 4: The Traditional Media Come to Macron’s Aid
Élysée rolls out Version 2 of the narrative, and mainstream media eagerly supports it.
Still blaming—wait for it—Russia.
Here’s a real quote from CNN:
“French officials say the moment will likely feed the mills of conspiracy theorists and Russian trolls. It’s already become a target for pro-Russian accounts and Russian state media, who see it as an opportunity to spread misinformation.”
This is the standard procedure.
Earlier this month, the same playbook was used when Macron was rumored to be using cocaine on a train to Kyiv.
Did Russia accuse him?
Nope.
But the media ran with it anyway:
“A crumpled tissue was mistaken for a bag of drugs.” Macron’s office swiftly labeled it as disinformation spread by France’s enemies—and, naturally, the assumption landed on Russia.
It’s almost comical.
And yet they wonder why audiences are turning to independent media.
CBS Mornings Didn’t Buy It
Even one of the three largest television networks in the United States, CBS, responded with amusement.
They aired the clip with commentary like:
“French President Emmanuel Macron is causing a stir after a clip surfaced showing him stepping off a plane on Sunday. As he’s about to descend, First Lady Brigitte Macron appears to shove or slap him in the face. Watch his expression. When he realizes people are watching, he quickly waves and retreats back into the plane. Later, they descend the stairs, but she’s clearly not holding his hand.”
Recap: The Sequence of Lies
🚨 Mistake #1: The Élysée said the video wasn’t real.
🚨 Mistake #2: Macron claimed it was “just a joke.”
But it wasn’t a joke.
That man was not in on it.
Macron tried to laugh it off:
“It’s been overblown into some sort of geo-planetary catastrophe.”
No, Monsieur Macron.
You got shoved in the face and humiliated—by your wife—on camera.
Perhaps next time you should think twice about marrying your high school teacher (who specializes in theater) – as CBS pointed out.
And the Russians are laughing – and rightly so.