‘A sort of geo-planetary catastrophe’: Macron reacts to that viral video
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Public figures are no strangers to having their private moments caught on camera—but sometimes, a brief clip can spark outsized speculation.
A recent exchange between French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, has ignited debate and headlines across the globe.
What began as a seemingly playful moment quickly turned into a media frenzy filled with scrutiny, assumptions and a flurry of theories.
Public figures often face intense scrutiny over even the most mundane moments, and French President Emmanuel Macron found himself at the centre of global speculation after a brief on-camera interaction with his wife.
As the Macrons disembarked from their plane in Vietnam, footage captured a scene that immediately sparked a frenzy of interpretations.
Brigitte Macron, dressed in a red jacket, appeared to push her husband’s face with both hands just as the plane door opened.
One hand covered his mouth and part of his nose while the other pressed against his jaw, prompting the president to recoil and turn his head.
Seconds later, Macron seemed to notice the camera and smiled before giving a small wave.
Source: Youtube/@NewsweekMag
The pair then emerged at the top of the plane’s stairs, with the president offering his arm to Brigitte—who did not take it—as they walked down side by side.
The footage, filmed by The Associated Press, was quickly circulated and dissected by media in France.
Le Parisien questioned whether the scene was a ‘slap or squabble’, noting the incident had ‘triggered a lot of comment’.
During a press conference, Macron addressed the speculation and dismissed the idea that the incident was serious.
‘We are squabbling and, rather, joking with my wife,’ he said.
He criticised the overblown reaction, calling it ‘a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe’.
Macron said the moment was nothing more than lighthearted play between the couple before a long official trip.
‘Everyone needs to calm down,’ he added, pointing to how quickly misinformation can spread in the age of social media.
He also referred to other recent examples, including one video that falsely suggested he had taken cocaine with the leaders of Britain and Germany.
Source: Youtube/The Economic Times
Macron explained that he had merely been picking up a tissue.
Another clip, according to him, had been misrepresented as a ‘muscular’ encounter with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, when in reality, they had simply shaken hands.
Source: Youtube/@NDTV
His office echoed his sentiments, describing the scene as a moment of relaxation between the president and his wife.
‘It was a moment where the president and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by horsing around,’ his office stated.
‘It’s a moment of complicity.’
‘It was all that was needed to give ammunition to the conspiracy theorists.’
The Macrons have been married since 2007, having met when Brigitte was a teacher at his high school and he was a student.
At the time, Brigitte Auzière was a married mother of three who ran the school’s drama club, where Emmanuel was a member.
He later moved to Paris for his final year of schooling but promised to marry her.
She eventually joined him in the capital after divorcing, and the two wed years later.
In a previous story, we explored how recent changes to retirement age have sparked strong reactions among older workers in France.
The issue has ignited passionate debate across the country, highlighting widespread concerns.
Read on to find out more about their perspectives and the challenges they face.
With so much attention on this brief moment between the Macrons, how do you think public figures can protect their private lives from endless speculation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
A recent exchange between French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, has ignited debate and headlines across the globe.
What began as a seemingly playful moment quickly turned into a media frenzy filled with scrutiny, assumptions and a flurry of theories.
Public figures often face intense scrutiny over even the most mundane moments, and French President Emmanuel Macron found himself at the centre of global speculation after a brief on-camera interaction with his wife.
As the Macrons disembarked from their plane in Vietnam, footage captured a scene that immediately sparked a frenzy of interpretations.
Brigitte Macron, dressed in a red jacket, appeared to push her husband’s face with both hands just as the plane door opened.
Macron couple caught in viral plane moment. Image source: Youtube/Hindustan Times
One hand covered his mouth and part of his nose while the other pressed against his jaw, prompting the president to recoil and turn his head.
Seconds later, Macron seemed to notice the camera and smiled before giving a small wave.
Source: Youtube/@NewsweekMag
The pair then emerged at the top of the plane’s stairs, with the president offering his arm to Brigitte—who did not take it—as they walked down side by side.
The footage, filmed by The Associated Press, was quickly circulated and dissected by media in France.
Le Parisien questioned whether the scene was a ‘slap or squabble’, noting the incident had ‘triggered a lot of comment’.
During a press conference, Macron addressed the speculation and dismissed the idea that the incident was serious.
‘We are squabbling and, rather, joking with my wife,’ he said.
He criticised the overblown reaction, calling it ‘a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe’.
Macron said the moment was nothing more than lighthearted play between the couple before a long official trip.
‘Everyone needs to calm down,’ he added, pointing to how quickly misinformation can spread in the age of social media.
He also referred to other recent examples, including one video that falsely suggested he had taken cocaine with the leaders of Britain and Germany.
Source: Youtube/The Economic Times
Macron explained that he had merely been picking up a tissue.
Another clip, according to him, had been misrepresented as a ‘muscular’ encounter with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, when in reality, they had simply shaken hands.
Source: Youtube/@NDTV
His office echoed his sentiments, describing the scene as a moment of relaxation between the president and his wife.
‘It was a moment where the president and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by horsing around,’ his office stated.
‘It’s a moment of complicity.’
‘It was all that was needed to give ammunition to the conspiracy theorists.’
The Macrons have been married since 2007, having met when Brigitte was a teacher at his high school and he was a student.
At the time, Brigitte Auzière was a married mother of three who ran the school’s drama club, where Emmanuel was a member.
He later moved to Paris for his final year of schooling but promised to marry her.
She eventually joined him in the capital after divorcing, and the two wed years later.
In a previous story, we explored how recent changes to retirement age have sparked strong reactions among older workers in France.
The issue has ignited passionate debate across the country, highlighting widespread concerns.
Read on to find out more about their perspectives and the challenges they face.
With so much attention on this brief moment between the Macrons, how do you think public figures can protect their private lives from endless speculation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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by what a dill her husband is.
