{"id":2433824,"date":"2025-05-12T18:03:01","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T22:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/france-issues-response-after-macron-is-accused-of-leaving-illicit-item-in-plain-sight-during-photo-op\/"},"modified":"2025-05-12T18:04:38","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T22:04:38","slug":"france-issues-response-after-macron-is-accused-of-leaving-illicit-item-in-plain-sight-during-photo-op","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/france-issues-response-after-macron-is-accused-of-leaving-illicit-item-in-plain-sight-during-photo-op\/","title":{"rendered":"France Issues Response After Macron Is Accused of Leaving Illicit Item in Plain Sight During Photo Op"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffrance-issues-response-after-macron-is-accused-of-leaving-illicit-item-in-plain-sight-during-photo-op%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2433824&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The French government has addressed rumors that President emmanuel Macron concealed a bag of cocaine during a meeting in Kyiv, alongside leaders from Germany adn the UK to discuss the Russia-Ukraine war. The allegations stemmed from a manipulated photo circulating on social media, wich showed Macron hastily removing a shiny object from a table, later identified as a crumpled tissue rather than drugs. the \u00c9lys\u00e9e Palace publicly dismissed the claims, stating that disinformation often arises when European unity is challenged. Visual evidence and corroborating accounts revealed that the object in question was indeed a tissue. French officials have attributed the spread of these false claims to foreign enemies, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >notably referencing fabrications linked<\/a> to Russian disinformation campaigns.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The French government has officially responded to viral claims that President Emmanuel Macron hid a bag of cocaine during a meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>Macron was there with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss how best to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war.<\/p>\n<p>The allegations, sparked by a seemingly doctored image, have been widely debunked, with the object in question identified as a crumpled tissue.<\/p>\n<p>The controversy began when a manipulated photo circulated on social media, suggesting Macron quickly removed a shiny white object from a table before a photo opportunity. The image, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RealAlexJones\/status\/1921774836918976589\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">d<\/a> by figures like Alex Jones, fueled speculation that the object was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/photos-cocaine-found-white-house-released\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a bag of cocaine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Adding to the rampant speculation, Merz was seen grasping and hiding a spoon before the photo op.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Multiple official sources have clarified the situation.<\/p>\n<p>The &Eacute;lys&eacute;e Palace, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/trump-gets-win-macron-french-president-makes-key-concession\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Macron<\/a>&rsquo;s official residence, addressed the claims on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-new-acting-attorney-general-jeff-rosen-recently-wrote-an-essay-on-foreign-influence-in-us-elections-this-tells-us-a-little-about-his-knowledge-of-whats-going-on-today\/\" title=\"The New Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen Recently Wrote an Essay on Foreign Influence in US Elections \u2013 This Tells Us A Little About His Knowledge of What\u2019s Going On Today\">social media platform<\/a> X, saying the object was clearly &ldquo;a simple tissue&rdquo; and dismissing the accusations as baseless.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs,&rdquo; the X post read.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This fake news is being spread by France&rsquo;s enemies, both abroad and at home,&rdquo; the &Eacute;lys&eacute;e account continued. &ldquo;We must remain vigilant against manipulation.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs.<\/p>\n<p>This fake news is being spread by France&rsquo;s enemies, both abroad and at home. We must remain vigilant against manipulation. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xyXhGm9Dsr\">pic.twitter.com\/xyXhGm9Dsr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; &Eacute;lys&eacute;e (@Elysee) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Elysee\/status\/1921676720995782761?\">May 11, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Visual evidence from Agence France-Presse (France&rsquo;s equivalent of the Associated Press) further appeared to corroborate the French presidency&rsquo;s account. The object appears to be a crumpled tissue, perhaps discarded after a sneeze or similar use, rather than a shiny bag of drugs.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UPDATE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UPDATE<\/a> The leaders of France, Britain, Germany and Poland will make a joint visit to Ukraine on Saturday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, vowing to ratchet up pressure on Russia until it agrees to a ceasefire.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9x1EQ0JEmn\">https:\/\/t.co\/9x1EQ0JEmn<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ffontemaggi?\">@ffontemaggi<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Stuart_JW?\">@Stuart_JW<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/abtFZu7Bis\">pic.twitter.com\/abtFZu7Bis<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; AFP News Agency (@AFP) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AFP\/status\/1920972046235820299?\">May 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-Sz6cIACfB0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">video<\/a> further highlighted that the object in question appeared closer to the hue of the paper on the table, and not something more luminescent:<\/p>\n<p>Macron&rsquo;s and Merz&rsquo;s actions in the video, initially perceived as hasty, align with a simple explanation: removing unsightly items before a formal photo.<\/p>\n<p>Occam&rsquo;s razor suggests that the leaders were prioritizing tidiness, rather than concealing a bag of drugs and a spoon for handling or heating up an illicit substance before a high-profile meeting.<\/p>\n<p>French officials have accused &ldquo;enemies&rdquo; of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/turkeys-erdogan-warns-against-free-speech-says-social-media-a-threat-to-democracy\/\" title=\"Turkey\u2019s Erdogan Warns Against Free Speech, Says ... a \u2018Threat to Democracy\u2019\">spreading fake news<\/a>, pointing to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/fbi-warned-evidence-used-justify-spying-trump-camp-russian-disinformation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Russia-linked disinformation campaigns<\/a>. The &Eacute;lys&eacute;e&rsquo;s response underscores a broader effort to combat online rumors, particularly those targeting Macron&rsquo;s leadership.<\/p>\n<p>The viral nature of the false claim highlights the current skepticism toward world leaders. Macron&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2025-04-13\/macron-approval-rating-slips-one-percentage-point-to-26-in-poll\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">approval ratings<\/a>, already under pressure, may have amplified the story&rsquo;s reach.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The French government has officially addressed viral accusations claiming that President Emmanuel Macron concealed a bag of cocaine during a meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine. Macron attended the meeting alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss solutions for the Russia-Ukraine conflict. These allegations originated from what appears to be a manipulated image, which has been thoroughly debunked; the object in question was identified as a crumpled tissue. The controversy arose when a doctored photo circulated online, suggesting that Macron hastily removed a shiny white item from the table before posing for pictures. This claim was amplified by figures like Alex Jones, who speculated that it was cocaine, especially after Merz was seen hiding a spoon prior to the photo opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>Multiple official sources have clarified the situation. The \u00c9lys\u00e9e Palace stated on social media platform X that the object was clearly &#8220;a simple tissue&#8221; and dismissed the claims as unfounded. They noted, &#8220;When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs,&#8221; emphasizing vigilance against manipulation by France&#8217;s adversaries both domestically and internationally.<\/p>\n<p>Visual evidence from Agence France-Presse supported this account, showing that what appeared on camera resembled discarded tissue rather than drugs. A video further indicated that the object&#8217;s color matched that of paper on the table rather than something more reflective or drug-like: actions taken by Macron and Merz were likely just efforts to tidy up before an official photo op.<\/p>\n<p>French officials have accused &#8220;enemies&#8221; of spreading false information linked to Russian disinformation campaigns. The \u00c9lys\u00e9e&#8217;s response highlights ongoing efforts to combat online rumors targeting Macron&#8217;s leadership amid already low approval ratings which may have contributed to this story gaining traction<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2433825,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Cocaine_and_World_Leaders.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[50410,5777,50979,4133],"class_list":["post-2433824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-controversy-2","tag-france","tag-macron-2","tag-news"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Cocaine_and_World_Leaders.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2433824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2433824"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2433824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2433828,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2433824\/revisions\/2433828"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2433825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2433824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2433824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2433824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}