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French President Emmanuel Macron was forced to address footage that captured his wife Brigitte 'slapping' him, as a lip reader claimed things were 'icy' between the pair.
For those that missed it, First Lady of France Brigitte Macron appeared to either slap or push the leader as the presidential plane doors opened upon their arrival in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sunday (May 25).
The 47-year-old then offered his hand to his 72-year-old wife to help as they walked down the aircraft's steps, to which she seemingly refused - with a lip reader even claiming she called him a 'loser'.
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Now, Macron has defended himself while speaking with reporters in Southeast Asia, claiming the pair were 'joking', while also touching on a number of other accusations made of him that have surfaced on social media in recent weeks.
"My wife and I were squabbling, we were rather joking, and I was taken by surprise," explained the French president of eight years.
"[It has since] become a kind of planetary catastrophe, and some [people] are even coming up with theories."
He then went on to talk about the false accusations that he had been taking cocaine while meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The trio had met in hopes of brokering a peace between Ukraine and Russia.
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The picture in question simply depicted a tissue on Macron's table.
Shortly after, there were then stories pedaled online that claimed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had firmly grabbed his fingers during a handshake, with many speculating that it was part of Erdogan's power-play.
Speaking in Hanoi, Macron continued: "For three weeks... there are people who have watched videos and think I shared a bag of cocaine, that I had a fight with the Turkish president, and that now I'm having a domestic dispute with my wife.
"None of these are true."
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Although he did concede that all the videos were 'completely authentic', he stressed that the stories created by people online were not.
As for his exchange with his wife 25 years his senior, a lip reader told the Express: "As the aircraft door opens, President Macron is seen turning toward Brigitte. In an unexpected moment, she pushes him in the face. Realising the door is already open and staff are witnessing the interaction, Emmanuel appears uncomfortable and quickly raises his hand with a forced 'Hi'."
A crew member on board the jet apparently then 'visibly flinches, brushing her hand through her hair in discomfort.'
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As for Macron, he allegedly 'steps closer to Brigitte before composing himself and crossing to the other side,' the analyst continued.
"Moments later, he signals for her to follow him with 'Let’s go'."
With a thanks to the pilot and a wave to the camera - which the analyst said was the president attempting to recover his 'public-facing image' - the pair turn to the descent, which is where 'things turn icy again.'
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"He offers his arm; she ignores it, clinging to the railing instead. As she passes, she appears to mutter, and lipread as 'Dégage, espèce de loser', translated in English 'Stay away, you loser'."
Macron reportedly responded: "Essayons, s’il te plaît," translating to, "Let's try, please?”
However, Brigitte allegedly replied curtly: "Non."
The lipreader claimed: "His closing expression, and the phrase lipread as 'Je vois' translated in english 'I see,' says it all."
Topics: Emmanuel Macron, France, Social Media, Politics
Joe Yates