Overview

• An Associated Press video captured Brigitte Macron pushing President Macron’s face as they disembarked in Hanoi on May 25.
• Macron told reporters the gesture was playful banter between the couple and criticized the reaction as overblown.
• The Élysée Palace initially questioned the clip’s authenticity before confirming it and linking much of the backlash to pro-Russian networks.
• Russian state media and French far-right accounts seized on the footage to fuel conspiracy theories and smear campaigns against Macron.
• While addressing the incident, Macron’s tour in Vietnam culminated in €9 billion of deals spanning Airbus planes, defence cooperation and other sectors.