During a news conference held at the White House on May 30, 2025, President Donald Trump discussed the incident that occurred on the aircraft that included Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron.
Trump grinned and said, “Make sure the door remains closed.” This was in response to the question of if he had any marital advice from one global leader to some other. This was not a nice thing. Laughter could be heard throughout the Oval Office as a result of his statement.
Immediately after the cessation of the laughing, Trump provided a brief update on the health of the couple. His statement was that he had a conversation with the President of France, who affirmed that both he and Brigitte were doing well.
In spite of the fact that he could not say for certain what had transpired between them, Trump made the observation that “they are two really good people.” There were a lot of individuals who commented on his statement online, despite the fact that he made things lighthearted during the press event. One individual referred to it as “very good advice,” while another one referred to it as “a very wise answer.”
In a short amount of time, other replies came rolling in, with users of social media continuing to express their perspectives on the event. Someone lauded Trump, saying, “Trump is so diplomatic here.” An additional person jumped up with a resounding exclamation, “Make sure the door stays closed…best advice!!! [translation]” There was a single person who repeated, “Great advice!”
Another individual acknowledged, “That is a really good solution! It’s the first time I ever agree with him! A other individual offered their own perspective, saying, “I believe that he really didn’t know what to say and didn’t want to comment on something when he didn’t know the facts, he wasn’t there, so instead he made a light joke.” The phrase “marital advice” was untrue.
Everyone’s attention was first drawn to the video itself, until those comments became so popular that they took over the internet. Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, and Brigitte, the First Lady of France, landed in Vietnam in May of 2025, marking the beginning of their tour to Southeast Asia.
At the very instant when the door of the airplane opened, a little video was caught, and it showed the president standing at the doorway. A few seconds later, his wife’s hands emerged from the side and seemed to press against his face in a manner that appeared to be a quick thrust.
However, despite the fact that the politician seemed to be taken aback, he instantly grinned and waved at the reporters. While they were making their way down the stairs, he extended his arm to Brigitte, but she decided to maintain her grip on the railing instead.
An further source described it as “a moment of togetherness,” with the addition that “It was a moment when the president and his wife were unwinding one last time before the trip began, playfully teasing each other.”
This same source also said that there were certain individuals, particularly accounts that were pro-Russian, who attempted to transform the situation into something that it was not.
Emmanuel took the decision to come out when he was in Hanoi, not too long after the video became widely publicized. To the rising amount of conversation, he responded:
Although he acknowledged that the footage was genuine, the 47-year-old objected to the manner in which it had been used. “The videos are all real, and yes, sometimes people tamper with them, but people are attributing all kinds of nonsense to them,” he said to reporters.
While he was attempting to clear the air on the aircraft footage, the head of state was also caught in the midst of yet another storm of false claims that were circulating online. Not very long ago, the Élysée had criticized a narrative that was completely without foundation and had acquired pace on social media.
Emmanuel was suspected of taking cocaine while traveling to Kyiv on a train with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, according to a report that was spread by pro-Russian accounts and even supported by persons who were affiliated with the Kremlin administration.
Specifically, the accusation focused on a crumpled piece of tissue that the politician picked up, which was incorrectly identified as being connected to drugs. In retaliation, the Élysée published a resolute statement on the internet, which stated:
An official from Russia named Maria Zakharova added to the cacophony by implying that it demonstrated more fundamental problems in Europe. French authorities responded forcefully, describing it as just another effort by Moscow to disseminate falsehoods, split partners, and distort the facts about Ukraine for the purpose of gaining political advantage.
During their trip to Vietnam, President Emmanuel and his wife were captured on video for a fleeting period, which caused them to become the focus of significant attention. As a result of the footage, jokes, political remarks, and bogus claims were posted on the internet.
Trump dealt with the situation with a humorous response, while Emmanuel took the situation seriously. Additionally, French authorities were had to make a stand against distinct misinformation operations that were directed against the president.