It comes after Emmanuel Macron’s wife, Brigette, appeared to slap him during a heated argument on an official tour – video footage of the incident got captured by the global media
President Donald Trump revealed that he spoke to the French president following the shocking footage showing the moment Emmanuel Macron’s wife appears to slap him during a heated argument on an official tour.
In footage taken at Hanoi airport, Macron’s profile can be seen through the door of his official plane. Seconds later, his wife Brigette quickly raises a hand to his face, and appears to strike him. The French president looks surprised and turns to wave outside, before the couple begin to walk down the staircase. Emmanuel Macron then attempts to hold her hand, but she chooses not to take it, and instead holds onto the handrail of the walkway.
The couple arrived in Hanoi on Sunday evening for a week-long tour of Southeast Asia, which will include stops in Indonesia and Singapore. A source close to Macron speaking to French news channel BFMTV dismissed the incident as simply a married couple “bickering.” They added: “It was a moment for the President and his wife to unwind one last time before the start of the trip by having a little fun.”
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Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked Donald Trump: “Do you have any world leader-to-world leader marital advice?” Trump, who has been married three times, quipped in response: “Make sure the door remains closed.”
Trump said: “I spoke to him[Macron]. He’s fine. They’re fine. They’re two really good people. I know him very well, and I don’t know what that was all about,’ Trump said, choosing his words carefully. But I know him very well, and they’re fine.”
It’s a far cry from their usual affectionate displays over the course of their 18-year marriage. Macron’s wife, Brigitte Trogneux, was his drama teacher in high school and is 25 years his senior. He’s 47, she’s 72.
The French President was just 16 when he vowed to marry Trogneux – a married mum-of-three at the time – and his parents even tried to put a stop to the schoolboy love affair, according to a book. Their romance blossomed as Trogneux taught Macron when he was a 15-year-old student at a Jesuit college in Amiens. A 2017 book says he defied orders from his parents to end the romance and his father ordered Trogneux to stay away from his son until he reached 18.
Fulda said Macron’s parents have since accepted the relationship and his mother has since described her as “adorable”. In the book, Trogneux was discreet about the origins of the affair.
The French president will is set to make a state visit to the United Kingdom in July. Macron will stay at Windsor Castle for the visit, which will take place from July 8 to July 10, Buckingham Palace confirmed earlier this month.