Following the circulation of a video showing Brigitte Macron seemingly pushing Emmanuel Macron, the French President has dismissed the incident as lightheartedness, refuting claims of a pro-Russian disinformation campaign.

According to French outlet Brèves de presse, after initially denying the video’s authenticity and suggesting it was AI-generated and disseminated by pro-Russian sources, the Élysée later confirmed the footage, describing it as a “moment of complicity.”

Despite the initial denial from Macron’s office, The Associated Press verified the video’s authenticity. 

His office has continued to downplay the incident following the initial attempt to suggest a pro-Russia disinformation campaign.

According to his office, the moment captured on video was simply the President and First Lady “horsing around” and “decompressing” before a trip, a harmless interaction seized upon by conspiracy theorists.

Macron told reporters the couple was merely joking.

“We are squabbling and, rather, joking with my wife,” he stated, adding that the incident was being blown out of proportion.

The video shows a uniformed man opening the plane door to reveal Macron in a suit. Brigitte Macron, in red sleeves, then appears to push Macron away, with one hand briefly covering his mouth and nose, and the other on his jaw. Macron turns his head, notices cameras, and smiles and waves before exiting.

Macron and his wife later exited the aircraft together. He offered his arm to the First Lady, who was wearing a red blazer, but she did not take it. 

The video quickly gained traction online, largely shared by accounts known for their criticism of the French President.

“For three weeks … there are people who have watched videos and think I shared a bag of cocaine, that I had a fight with the Turkish president, and that now I’m having a domestic dispute with my wife,” Macron said. “None of these are true. Everyone needs to calm down.”