Macron Accused of Cocaine Use on Kyiv Train Trip— French Government Fires Back

Right-wing conspiracy theorists targeted a moment of European diplomacy. The French president’s office isn’t having it.

In an age of viral misinformation and weaponized conspiracy, even tissues aren’t safe.

A blurry video clip of French President Emmanuel Macron reaching for a white object on a train to Ukraine has ignited a firestorm online. Fringe voices—led by notorious conspiracy theorist Alex Jones—are now claiming Macron was hiding a bag of cocaine during a late-night summit with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The clip, filmed aboard a train en route to Kyiv on May 9, shows the three European leaders seated at a table during their high-profile diplomatic mission. Macron is briefly seen reaching across the table to move what appears to be a small white item—identified by the French government as a tissue. That hasn’t stopped Jones and other far-right influencers from spinning the moment into something far more salacious.

Jones, addressing his 4.4 million followers on X, branded the footage a “DEVELOPING SCANDAL,” wildly accusing Macron of concealing narcotics and even claiming German Chancellor Merz “hid the spoon.” He then echoed a Kremlin-fueled smear campaign accusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of drug use, a claim debunked repeatedly by Western intelligence.

But the French government hit back hard.

“This is a tissue for blowing your nose. This is European unity to build peace,” the Élysée Palace said in a statement posted on social media, attaching two side-by-side images—one zoomed in on the now-infamous tissue, and another showing the leaders deep in conversation. The statement went on to blast the allegations as “fake news being spread by France’s enemies, both abroad and at home.”

The timing of the attack was no accident. Macron, Starmer, Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk were in Ukraine to support a proposed 30-day ceasefire and push back against escalating Russian aggression. Their trip marked a show of solidarity just days before expected Ukrainian counter-offensives.

French newspaper Libération was blunt, calling the claims “absurd” and tracing many of the viral posts to accounts that also promote Vladimir Putin and discredit Western support for Ukraine.

“Disinformation campaigns thrive on distraction,” said Claire Marchand, a French media analyst. “This is textbook manipulation—turn a tissue into a scandal to undermine unity at a critical moment.”

The incident underscores the uphill battle democratic governments face as they try to lead in an era when diplomacy can be derailed by memes, misinformation, and manufactured outrage.

As for Macron, his office appears ready to move on. “We will not be derailed by nonsense,” a spokesperson said. “The real story here is Europe standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine.”