Book Claims Macron Plane Clash Over Farahani Texts

A new book by French journalist Florian Tardif has claimed that a viral incident in which First Lady Brigitte Macron appeared to slap President Emmanuel Macron's face stemmed from her discovery of flirtatious messages on his phone from Iranian-French actress Golshifteh Farahani.

The episode occurred in May 2025 as the presidential couple prepared to disembark their aircraft in Hanoi, Vietnam, during an official visit. Video footage captured Brigitte Macron pushing or shoving her husband's face moments before they exited the plane, prompting widespread online speculation. At the time, Macron's office described the moment as the couple decompressing through playful joking before their engagements began. Macron himself told reporters, "We are squabbling and, rather, joking with my wife," dismissing the reaction as overblown.

Tardif's book, "An Almost Perfect Couple," published this week, links the confrontation to messages exchanged between Macron and Farahani, whom the author describes as maintaining a platonic relationship for several months. According to excerpts serialized in Paris Match and Tardif's interview with RTL France, one message from Macron read, "I find you very...