"A sudden and violent gesture on the lower part of the president's face." "A scene worthy of a comedy," "A play of hands (villainous play)." "A simple domestic quarrel." "A display of complicity"... Multiple interpretations continue to pour in regarding what happened on the night of May 25 in Hanoi, when a military officer opened the door of the presidential Airbus in which Emmanuel Macron was traveling, and at that moment, something resembling a slap (with both hands) landed on his face, delivered by a woman dressed in red who turned out to be his wife, Brigitte.
The indiscreet image, captured by an AP camera, went around the world and ended up becoming something akin to "a geoplanetary catastrophe," paraphrasing Macron himself, who asked his compatriots to "stay calm" and said he was simply "joking" with his wife.
The Élysée Palace went into panic mode. The incident came to light just as the president was hoping to relaunch his Indo-Pacific strategy during the first visit of a French head of state to Vietnam. The initial theory was that it was a fake. When it was confirmed that the slap or whatever it was had been real, the official version only served to fuel conspiracy theories even more: "It was a moment when the president and his wife were unwinding."
It is worth noting, however, that the scene occurred after 16 hours of travel and 17 years of marriage between the unique couple whose love story began when he was 15 and she was 39. The brilliant student captivated the drama teacher who gave up everything (a comfortable marriage and three children) to follow the upward trajectory of the man who would become the 25th president of the Republic and the youngest head of state since Napoleon (at 39, the same age she was when they met).
Emmanuel is now 47 and Brigitte has turned 72. The age difference is becoming increasingly noticeable, and the river of rumors that has always surrounded the couple since their high school days in Amiens is once again gaining strength. While the trial against the two women who spread the rumor that Brigitte was transgender is still ongoing (they were convicted a year ago for defamation), the president's wife now has to deal with speculations about the state of their marriage.
Brigitte has hardly spoken publicly since the famous incident, but her body language spoke volumes for her. After the stress-relieving scolding - let's put it that way - she ignored her husband when he put his arm around her to descend the stairs of the plane together. With a stern expression, she was seen descending dressed in red (just in case there was any doubt about who the two hands that covered the president's mouth belonged to).
The French president and his wife descend the plane's stairs in Hanoi, with a serious expression, after the slap incident.AFP
After the outburst, Brigitte impeccably played the role of the first lady and was praised by Style magazine for her "ultra-chic look" at the gala dinner hosted by President Luong Cuong and his wife Nugyen Thi Minh, a day after the high-heeled altercation. Grounded, she strolled hand in hand with her husband through the streets of Hanoi at night, seemingly reconciled under the moon of the French colonial past.
The trip to Southeast Asia, with stops in Indonesia and Singapore, ultimately served to highlight Brigitte's figure, who garners more sympathy from the French than her husband. Emmanuel Macron's popularity has been at an all-time low for months, following the failure of the early legislative elections in July 2024, where centrist parties lost the majority, plunging the country into an eternal political crisis.
The president, who started his term in 2017 with a 64% approval rating, currently hovers around 25% and faces what analysts have dubbed as "the decline of Macronism" in his last two years. Only in foreign policy does he receive high approval from his compatriots, hence his effort to board the Airbus every week (in the coming days, he will once again assume his role as the ultimate Europeanist and attend the meeting in Rome with Giorgia Meloni, with whom he also maintains a high-tension relationship).
These days, much is being said about Tant qu'on est tous les deux ("as long as we are together"), the book by Gaël Tchakallof that in 2021 defined Emmanuel and Brigitte as "inseparable" and "indestructible," always attentive to each other, united by an invisible communication channel, oblivious to the weight of power as they once were to prejudices about their age difference.
However, things have changed in recent years. The magazine Marianne revealed this year that the couple seems determined to part with their residence in Touquet, where they married and found their haven of peace away from the Parisian hustle and bustle. Some have interpreted this as a sign of uncertainty about the future of the couple.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macron has become "a recluse in his fortress," abandoned by his allies and loyal collaborators, according to Olivier Beaumont in "The Tragedy of the Élysée." Brigitte's advice will never be lacking, not even in the lowest moments, but for now, Macron seems trapped in his own labyrinth.
"In May 2027, Brigitte will be 74 years old," Beaumont emphasizes, already envisioning the president's farewell: "It will be the moment when Emmanuel can think about giving Brigitte back all the time she sacrificed for him. Or perhaps the moment when she decides to be selfish and live for herself."