Over the weekend, a shocking scene between French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife was captured on camera. The 47-year-old leader was seemingly hit in the face by his 72-year-old wife, Brigitte Macron. With the video going viral, netizens are heavily scrutinizing the union, comparing it to Donald Trump and Melania, seeing that both couples have a similar age gap.
The incident between the French first couple occurred when they arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, to kick off a Southeast Asia tour. As they were about to exit the presidential plane, the president was standing by the aircraft doorway when a hand clad in red cloth struck him across the face.
Macron appeared shocked at the push, but when he saw the camera in his direction, he quickly smiled and waved. Seconds later, his wife appeared at the doorway wearing a red suit and black pants.
The couple soon descended from the aircraft, and the French leader extended his arms to his wife. However, she ignored him, making the situation more suspicious. Despite how alarming the incident looked, the Élysée Palace downplayed the matter in a statement to the French press.
“It was a moment when the president and his wife were relaxing one last time before the start of the trip by having a laugh. It was a moment of closeness.”
Netizens Compare French President’s Marriage To Donald Trump’s
The video gained attention from netizens who began comparing Macron’s marriage to Trump’s. Apart from the age gap, the tension between France’s first couple while exiting has been witnessed between Melania and Trump multiple times.
You clearly see Emmanuel extend his hand to his spouse, which she ignored… You know the same thing they claimed about Trump when he held his hand out towards Melania while walking side by side,” a user observed.
Another netizen wrote, “Like DJT being 23 years older than Melania,” while this fan joked, “Melanie to Trump when?”
While the age gap appears to be one similarity between the two political marriages, there are noticeable differences. For one, the French leader’s love affair with his wife began when he was underage, making it quite controversial. Emmanuel was 15 years old and in high school when he met his now-wife, who was 39 years old and was his teacher. They tied the knot in 2007, People reports.
However, POTUS and the former model first met in 1998. At that time, the real estate mogul was 52 years old, while the model was 28—both were of legal age. The two started dating in 2000 and finally tied the knot in 2005.