Dramatic footage has emerged showing French first lady Brigitte Macron physically pushing President Emmanuel Macron in the face during their arrival in Vietnam, followed by what a professional lip reader describes as a heated exchange where she called him a “loser.”
The professional lip reader hired by The Express decoded the tense exchange between the married couple.
The confrontation began immediately as the aircraft door opened and President Macron turned toward his wife, according to the expert analysis.
The incident occurred Sunday evening as the presidential couple’s aircraft door opened upon landing in Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital.
Video captured the 72-year-old first lady placing both hands on her 47-year-old husband’s face before delivering what observers described as a firm shove.
The shocking moment unfolded just as cameras began recording the couple’s official arrival, leaving the French president visibly startled before he quickly attempted to regain his composure for the waiting media.
“As the aircraft door opens, President Macron is seen turning toward Brigitte. In an unexpected moment, she pushes him in the face,” the lip reader reported to The Express.
Following the physical altercation, President Macron noticed the cameras were focused on him and responded by saying “Hi” while raising his hand in acknowledgment.
The lip reader indicated that Macron then moved closer to Brigitte before composing himself and crossing to the opposite side of the aircraft doorway.
The professional lip reader continued tracking their interaction, noting that Macron then signaled for his wife to follow him, saying “Let’s go.”
He subsequently thanked the pilot and waved at the cameras in what appeared to be an attempt to restore his public image.
The tension between the couple escalated again at the top of the aircraft stairs, however.
When President Macron offered his arm to assist his wife down the staircase, she deliberately ignored the gesture and chose to grip the railing instead.
As Brigitte Macron passed her husband, the lip reader claims she muttered, “Dégage, espèce de loser,” which translates to “Stay away, you loser” in English.
President Macron reportedly responded to his wife’s harsh words by saying, “Essayons, s’il te plaît,” meaning “Let’s try, please?” in English.
The first lady’s response was brief and definitive: “Non,” meaning “No.”
The lip reader concluded the analysis by noting Macron’s final expression and the phrase “Je vois,” translated as “I see,” suggesting resignation to the situation.
The professional lip reader characterized the exchange as “a rare unguarded exchange that hints at deeper tensions between the couple” and described it as “one to watch, especially with a packed diplomatic schedule ahead.”
Brigitte Macron maintained her distance from her husband as they descended the aircraft stairs, where Vietnamese officials waited to greet the visiting French delegation.
The French president’s office initially attempted to dispute the authenticity of the viral footage but later acknowledged that the video was genuine.
President Macron has since attempted to minimize the significance of the public altercation during his official visit to Vietnam, the New York Post highlighted.
Speaking on Monday, Macron characterized the incident as harmless banter between spouses. “We are squabbling and, rather, joking with my wife,” the president stated.
The French leader further dismissed critics who were amplifying the story, claiming the incident was being transformed into “a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe” by his political opponents.
“People are saying all sorts of nonsense. Everyone needs to calm down,” Macron added in his public response to the growing attention surrounding the airport incident.
The couple has been married since 2007, having first encountered each other in 1993 when Brigitte was serving as a 39-year-old high school teacher and Emmanuel was her 15-year-old student and a classmate of her daughter.
