The French Slap (b)
French President Emmanuel Macron has denied that he and his wife, Brigitte,
had an argument after a video went viral. The clip, shared by Russian media and
far-right French accounts, appears to show Brigitte pushing Macron’s face as
they were leaving a plane in Vietnam.
The video was filmed by an Associated Press camera. It shows Macron
standing in the doorway of the plane at the start of his visit to Hanoi. A hand
that seems to be Brigitte’s touches his face, and he takes a step back, then
waves to the crowd.
Brigitte’s body is not seen in the video, and Macron later told reporters
that they were just joking. However, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson,
Maria Zakharova, posted online that Macron had received a “right hook,” making
fun of the video.
She joked, asking if Brigitte meant to fix his collar but accidentally hit
his face. Russian TV and social media repeated the video many times. Zakharova
even said it might have been “the hand of the Kremlin.”
Macron explained to reporters in Hanoi that he and Brigitte often joke
around. An official from the Élysée Palace said the video was “a moment of
closeness,” but it was enough to attract conspiracy theories.
Another official said the couple were relaxing before starting the visit.
“Macron enjoys playing jokes on his wife before official events, and she always
responds like this. It wasn’t even a slap,” the official said.
Macron added that other videos of him have also been misunderstood. “People
thought I shared a bag of cocaine or had a fight with my wife. None of this is
true,” he said. “Everyone should calm down.”
Zakharova and US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones recently made false claims
about Macron, German politician Friedrich Merz, and UK Prime Minister Keir
Starmer. They said a crumpled tissue on a train to Kyiv was a bag of drugs.
Macron said the internet accounts spreading these ideas were well-known and
included Russians and French extremists. He added that some commentators said
he looked like “a husband being attacked.”
During the visit, France and Vietnam signed deals worth €9 billion. The
agreements included the purchase of 20 Airbus planes, and cooperation in
energy, defence, transport, satellites, and vaccines.
1. Vocabulary Matches
Match the underlined word to its correct definition:
| Vocabulary Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| 1. Conspiracy | A. Widely shared or spread rapidly, especially online |
| 2. Extremists | B. Relating to a person in authority or to formal procedures |
| 3. Official | C. People who hold very strong, sometimes dangerous political or religious views |
| 4. Spokesperson | D. A feeling of intimacy or nearness |
| 5. Closeness | E. A person who speaks on behalf of an organization |
| 6. Viral | F. A secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful |
2. Synonym Matches
Match the word from the text to its synonym:
| Word from Text | Synonym |
|---|---|
| 1. Conspiracy | A. Spreading |
| 2. Argument | B. Disagreement |
| 3. Spokesperson | C. Plot |
| 4. Viral | D. Intimacy |
| 5. Extremists | E. Protection |
| 6. Official | F. Formal |
| 7. Defence | G. Radicals |
| 8. Closeness | H. Representative |
3. ROLE-PLAY
EXERCISES
Media Press Conference
Roles: Emmanuel Macron, Brigitte Macron, French Journalist,
Russian Media Reporter
Scenario: After the viral video, each role must respond to the media.
- Macron must downplay the situation.
- Brigitte defends her gesture.
- French journalist asks for clarification.
- Russian media pushes conspiracy angle.
4.Choose one from the list of
most things couples fight about and why:
1. Money
2. Trust and
Jealousy
3. Household
Responsibilities
4. Communication
Styles
5. Time Spent
Together vs. Apart
6. Parenting
and Childcare
7. In-laws
and Extended Family
8. Intimacy
9. Future
Goals and Priorities
10. Something not on the list
5. Macron has said that there has been false rumours and media reports being spread about him by his enemies. Which ones of these reports about Macron do you think are the most destructive for a politician´s career and why:
1. He has a drug problem
2. He is having numerous affairs with both men and
women.
3. His wife is transgender.
4.His marriage is a political arrangement
5. His wife is the one who makes the political
decisions.
6: What do you know about these First and Former First Ladies?
María Begoña Gómez Fernández
Brigitte Marie-Claude Macron
Hilary Clinton
Melania Trump
Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis
Carla Bruni
Eva Peron
Michelle Obama
7.While the slap received a lot of news by the media, what other events do you think people should be paying attention to more:
1. Israel–Iran Conflict Escalation
2. Air India Flight 171 Tragedy
3. Los Angeles Protests and Civil
Unrest
4. Other Events or Issues
8. Discussion &
Comprehension Questions
1. Why is the media so obsessed with the private lives of famous people ?
2.
How should the
media report incidents involving the personal lives of public figures?
3. Do you think public figures have a right to
privacy? Why or why not?
4.
How can such an
incident affect a politician's image or credibility?
5. Should political leaders be judged based on their personal relationships? Why or why not?
6.
What role does
social media play in spreading and reacting to such incidents?
7.
How do power
dynamics play a role in public relationships, especially when one partner holds
a prominent office?
8.
Should incidents
like this influence voters’ opinions or political decisions?
9. What are the dangers of assuming someone is guilty or innocent based on a viral clip without understanding full context?
10. Fill in the blanks:
1. France shares a with several countries including Belgium ,Luxembourg, Germany,Switzerland, Italy,Spain and Andorra.
2. Andorra is
between France
and Spain.
3. It does not have access to the sea . It is .
4. Macron has been elected twice as president. This is
his second
as president.
5. There is almost 25 years between Macron and his
wife. It is a
relationship.
6. There is almost 25 years difference between him and
his wife. What is another word for 25 years?
7. She is 25 years his . He is 25 years her .
8. The City of Love is the
of
Paris.
9. If Paris is a city that you would love to visit
one day, it is on your
.
10. It was your dream to visit Paris but when you went
there you were disappointed. You thought Paris was
.
11. Some things about Paris you loved and some other
things you hated. This means that for you, Paris was
.
12. Paris is
for having the rudest waiters in the world.
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