Topics: France, News, Politics, World News, Social Media
Emmanuel Macron’s team aren’t backing down to unsubstantiated rumors about the President, and have hit back.
The French leader met with European leaders over the weekend, but one brief moment ended up causing a massive stir on social media.
Macron met with Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Kyiv in hopes of brokering a peace between Ukraine and Russia.
However, one action from Macron ahead of pictures from the media seemed to fire up the rumor mill.
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The French president was spotted removing a crumpled white object from a table he was sharing with the leaders.
From this brief action, people all over Twitter have taken to accusing him of taking drugs with the leaders, specifically cocaine.
So, what was the little white object, you might ask?
Well, unremarkably it was only a crumpled up piece of tissue, and not exactly the wild illegal scandal some may have been hoping for.
On Sunday (May 11), the Elysée Palace took to social media to not only dispel the rumors but mock those who had been repeatedly pushing them.
The post read: “When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs.
“This fake news is being spread by France’s enemies, both abroad and at home. We must remain vigilant against manipulation.”
‘France’s enemies’ doesn’t point fingers at anyone directly, but Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was amongst those who shared the conspiracy theory online.
When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs.
— Élysée (@Elysee) May 11, 2025
This fake news is being spread by France’s enemies, both abroad and at home. We must remain vigilant against manipulation. pic.twitter.com/xyXhGm9Dsr
The post also showed a close up image of the tissue before Macron picked it up.
Despite this, many rumors still circulated with some social media users moving the goalpost or still suggesting that drugs were somehow involved in the meeting.
One user commented: “If it was a tissue, why did Macron attempt to hide it discreetly?
"And why did they all stop smiling and laughing, and began looking awkward and uncomfortable shortly after it was hidden?”
Another said: “It wasn’t the tissue that was the issue. It was the way Macron picked it up and hid it that raised suspicions. Nobody would do what he did if it was just a piece of tissue.”
With a third adding: “Why is Mr. Macron not taking a drug test and prove the disinformation theorists wrong?”
While many would have let the rumors simply die down, the French presidency has reportedly taken a tougher stance on disinformation.
An Elysée official who was granted anonymity said: “It’s by denying them when they emerge that we weaken them.”
