French President Emmanuel Macron’s wife, Brigitte Macron, made a scathing four-word remark just moments after shoving him in the face, as revealed by a professional lip reader.
Shocking footage captured Brigitte Macron, aged 72, placing both hands on her husband’s face before forcefully shoving him just after the president’s plane door opened upon his arrival in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sunday evening, May 25.
The lip reader has now deciphered the shocking exchange.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron disembark from the plane upon their arrival at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam, on May 25, 2025. (LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)
“As the aircraft door opens, President Macron is seen turning toward Brigitte. In an unexpected moment, she pushes him in the face,” a lip reader told The Express.
After the door opened and Macron noticed that the cameras were on him, he then said “Hi” before raising his hand.
The French leader’s office initially denied the authenticity of the footage, but eventually confirmed it was genuine.
“Emmanuel then steps closer to Brigitte before composing himself and crossing to the other side.
Moments later, he signals for her to follow him with, ‘Let’s go,’” the lip reader said.
“He thanks the pilot and waves at the cameras, trying to recover the public-facing image.”
“But at the top of the stairs, things turn icy again. He offers his arm; she ignores it, choosing to cling to the railing instead. As she passes, she appears to mutter, ‘Dégage, espèce de loser,’ translated in English, ‘Stay away, you loser.’”
Moments later, the lip reader claims Macron said, “Essayons, s’il te plaît” — which translated to, “Let’s try, please?”
Brigitte then responds, “Non.” This means “no”.
“His closing expression, and the phrase lipread as ‘Je vois,’ translated in english “I see” says it all,” the lip reader went on.
Immediately after the shove, Macron, 47, appears startled but quickly recovers when he realises he is in the public’s view.
Brigitte then didn’t take her husband’s proffered arm when making her way down the staircase, where Vietnamese officials greeted them.
The French president has since tried to downplay the ordeal.
REUTERS
“We are squabbling and, rather, joking with my wife,” Macron said Monday, adding that the incident was being overblown into “a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe” by his enemies.
“People are saying all sorts of nonsense. Everyone needs to calm down,” he added.
The duo, who have been married since 2007, first met in 1993 when Brigitte was a 40-year-old high school teacher and Emmanuel was her 15-year-old student and a classmate of her daughter.
