Macron’s wife shoves him on plane in moment caught on video

French President Emmanuel Macron brushed off an incident involving his wife, where she appeared to aggressively shove him while disembarking a flight.

Macron’s office on Monday downplayed the altercation in which his wife, Brigitte Macron, appeared to shove him in the face as the couple arrived in Vietnam at the start of a Southeast Asia tour.

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In the video, Brigitte’s hands can be seen pushing into his face while the president prepares to disembark from the presidential aircraft. Only her arms and hands are visible, which, clad in red sleeves, matched the attire she wore moments later when walking down the plane’s steps alongside her husband.

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She appeared to be unaware that the plane door was open when the push took place. Afterwards, Macron can be seen briefly waving to cameras before the pair disappears behind a flight attendant.

The couple, who have been married since 2007, then disembarked together.

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An Elysee official played down the moment, denying it showed an argument between the couple.

“It was a moment when the president and his wife were relaxing one last time before the start of the trip by having a laugh,” they said, according to Reuters. “It was a moment of closeness.”

Macron’s visit to Vietnam, a former French colony, is the first by any French leader in his role in almost a decade, and comes as he aims to bolster his country’s influence in the region.

Vietnam, which has a heavily export-driven economy, has made concessions to the U.S. in trade talks in a bid to avoid 46 per cent tariffs. But Brussels, where the European Union is headquartered, has concerns that Vietnam’s efforts to buy more American goods could come at Europe’s expense.

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to impose 50 per cent tariffs on imports from the European Union, but softened his stance two days later, restoring a July 9 deadline for talks between Washington and Brussels.

— With files from Reuters