A lip reader has offered their interpretation of what they believe Brigitte Macron said to President Emmanuel Macron just moments after a now-viral incident in which she appeared to ‘slap’ or ‘push’ him during an apparent disagreement.
In case you missed the moment, the French First Lady seemed visibly displeased with her husband as they arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sunday (May 25). Just as the doors of the presidential plane opened, she appeared to place both hands on President Macron’s face in a firm gesture that some have described as a ‘slap’ or forceful push.
At 72, Brigitte Macron remained partially concealed behind the aircraft’s fuselage, with only her arm visible as she reached toward the French president. Meanwhile, a seemingly surprised Emmanuel Macron was fully in view of cameras and onlookers, quickly composing himself and attempting to maintain a calm demeanor.
Macron and his wife appeared to be in a heated argument (Alamy)
The French couple then descended the steps from the jet together, though Brigitte appeared to snub her husband’s gesture to hold his arm.
The 47-year-old politician has since spoken out about the heated exchange, saying it was harmless ‘joking’ around.
However, a professional lip reader has claimed the moment was probably a little more serious than they are letting on, as per Brigitte’s body language when they descended the stairs.
“As the aircraft door opens, President Macron is seen turning toward Brigitte. In an unexpected moment, she pushes him in the face. Realising the door is already open and staff are witnessing the interaction, Emmanuel appears uncomfortable and quickly raises his hand with a forced ‘Hi,'” the lip reader told The Express.
The pair apparently had a heated moment (THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images)
A crew member on board the jet apparently then ‘visibly flinches, brushing her hand through her hair in discomfort.’
As for Macron, he ‘steps closer to Brigitte before composing himself and crossing to the other side,’ the analyst continued. “Moments later, he signals for her to follow him with ‘Let’s go’.”
With a thanks to the pilot and a wave to the camera – which the analyst said was the president attempting to recover his ‘public-facing image’ – the pair turn to the descent, which is where ‘things turn icy again.’
“He offers his arm; she ignores it, clinging to the railing instead. As she passes, she appears to mutter, and lipread as ‘Dégage, espèce de loser’, translated in English ‘Stay away, you loser’.”
Macron reportedly responded: “Essayons, s’il te plaît,” translating to, “Let’s try, please?”
However, Brigitte allegedly replied curtly: “Non.”
The lipreader said: “His closing expression, and the phrase lipread as ‘Je vois’ translated in english ‘I see,’ says it all.
“Hot Take: A rare unguarded exchange that hints at deeper tensions between the couple. One to watch, especially with a packed diplomatic schedule ahead.”
Brigitte, who is 25 years her husband’s senior, met Macron when he was a pupil at the high school where she taught French.
The rest of the trip has apparently been successful for the pair (LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)
The pair tied the knot in 2007 before he pursued his career in public service.
The analysis comes as Macron shrugged off any suggestions that the pair had a serious row.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, he said: “We are squabbling and, rather, joking with my wife.”
He further described the media frenzy around the incident as disproportionate, calling it ‘sort of geo-planetary catastrophe.’
“Everyone needs to calm down,” he added.
An Elysee official also played down the tense moment, denying it showed they were arguing.
“It was a moment where the president and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by horsing around. It’s a moment of complicity. It was all that was needed to give ammunition to the conspiracy theorists.”
