Emmanuel Macron’s team aren’t backing down to unsubstantiated rumors about the President, and have hit back.
The French leader met with European leaders over the weekend, but one brief moment ended up causing a massive stir on social media.
Macron met with Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Kyiv in hopes of brokering a peace between Ukraine and Russia.
However, one action from Macron ahead of pictures from the media seemed to fire up the rumor mill.
The French president was spotted removing a crumpled white object from a table he was sharing with the leaders.
From this brief action, people all over Twitter have taken to accusing him of taking drugs with the leaders, specifically cocaine.
So, what was the little white object, you might ask?
As it turns out, the much-hyped “scandal” amounted to nothing more than a crumpled tissue—hardly the explosive revelation some had been anticipating.
On Sunday, May 11, the Elysée Palace addressed the swirling rumors via social media, not only debunking them but also poking fun at those who had helped fan the flames.
“When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to turn an ordinary tissue into supposed drugs,” the post read.
“This fake news is being spread by France’s enemies, both foreign and domestic. We must remain vigilant against such manipulation.”
While the statement didn’t name names, it came after Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova was among those who circulated the conspiracy theory online.
The post also included a close-up image of the tissue moments before President Macron picked it up.
Despite this clarification, speculation continued to swirl online. Some users shifted the narrative, still insisting that drugs may have played a role in the meeting.
One commenter questioned, “If it was just a tissue, why did Macron try to conceal it so discreetly?
“And why did everyone suddenly stop smiling and laughing, looking noticeably awkward after it was hidden?”
Another added, “The issue wasn’t the tissue itself—it was how Macron picked it up and quickly tucked it away. No one behaves like that over a simple tissue.” Macron’s
A third user chimed in: “Why doesn’t Mr. Macron just take a drug test to prove the conspiracy theorists wrong?”
While some might have opted to let the rumors fade on their own, the French presidency appears to be adopting a firmer approach to combating disinformation.
An Elysée official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated: “The way to weaken these falsehoods is to challenge them as soon as they surface.”
