Macron Dismisses ‘Slapgate’ Claims After Video With Wife Goes Viral: 'Has Become A Geo-Planetary Catastrophe'

French President Emmanuel Macron has firmly denied speculation of a marital row with his wife, Brigitte Macron, after a video went viral showing what appeared to be her brushing his face aside as the couple arrived in Vietnam.

The clip, which quickly gained traction on social media on Monday, shows the pair just after landing in Hanoi.

Photo Credit: AP/PTI

As the aircraft doors open, Brigitte (72), mostly out of frame with only her hands visible, is seen seemingly swatting Macron (47) in the face.

He looks briefly taken aback before regaining his composure and waving to the cameras.

Addressing reporters after the incident, Macron insisted the moment had been misinterpreted.

"My wife and I were squabbling, we were rather joking, and I was taken by surprise," he said.

The French President, who married Brigitte in 2007 after meeting her at school where she was his teacher, played down the footage and criticised the public reaction.

"Now it's become a kind of geo-planetary catastrophe, and some are even coming up with theories," he added.

Macron said the frenzy over the clip was the result of disinformation campaigns designed to misrepresent what he described as a playful exchange.

He warned that this wasn't the first time in recent weeks that footage of him had been mischaracterised by people he referred to as "crackpots".

"In these three videos I took a tissue, shook someone's hand and just joked with my wife, as we do quite often. Nothing more," he said.

He attributed the manipulation of the videos to "networks that are quite well-traceable", specifically blaming "the Russians" and "the extremists in France".

Officials from the Élysée Palace backed his comments, telling French media that the video simply showed "a moment in which the President and his wife were unwinding by goofing about one last time before the start of the trip."

Vietnam marks the first stop on Macron's Southeast Asia tour, where he plans to position France as a dependable alternative to the United States and China.

It is the first visit by a French president in nearly a decade as Macron seeks to revive French influence in the former colony.

He will also be travelling to Indonesia and Singapore.