France’s Macron Scrambles to Snuff Out Viral ‘Cocaine’ Claim

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office is aggressively batting down a viral rumor that he brought cocaine aboard a train to Ukraine during a high-profile diplomatic visit — calling the claim “fake news” and blaming it on “France’s enemies.”

The clip in question shows Macron seated next to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the Kyiv-bound train, but as reporters entered the room, he was spotted subtly picking up a crumpled white object from a table as the German leader appeared to hide a small spoon.

The clip went viral as online sleuths, including familiar U.S. commentators, pounced to push the suggestion that it was a bag of cocaine.

In a rare and pointed rebuttal, however, the Elysée took to X, posting a high-resolution photo of the object with the blunt caption: “This is a tissue. For blowing your nose.”

It appeared alongside an image of the three leaders, captioned, “This is European unity. To build peace.”

“We must remain vigilant against manipulation,” the post continued in both French and English. “When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes as far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs.”

French outlet Libération also debunked the claim, pointing to photos “taken by the AFP or AP news agencies” to “show that the mysterious bag of white powder is actually a handkerchief rolled into a ball.”

The newspaper added that the spoon moved by Merz “looks more like a stirrer or a toothpick.”