Emmanuel Macron’s team has reacted to baseless rumors about the president and is not going to back down.

Social media was rocked by a single moment during the French leader’s weekend gathering with European leaders.

Macron met with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Kyiv to try to mediate a settlement between Russia and Ukraine.

Prior to the media pictures that seemed to feed the rumor mill, Macron did, however, take one action.

The French president was seen removing a crumpled white object from the leaders’ table while they were eating together.

People on Twitter have started to suspect him of using drugs, particularly cocaine, with the leaders as a result of this small action.

So what was that little white thing, you might ask?

Naturally, it was not the ludicrous, illegal scandal that some might have hoped for, but rather a bit of crumpled tissue.

On Sunday, May 11, the Elysée Palace denied the rumors and mocked those who were spreading them on social media.

According to the post, “Disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs when European unity becomes inconvenient.”

The enemies of France are disseminating this false information both domestically and internationally. We have to be on the lookout for manipulation.

Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian foreign ministry, was among those who posted the conspiracy theory online, despite the fact that “France’s enemies” doesn’t specifically point the finger at anyone.

When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs.

This fake news is being spread by France’s enemies, both abroad and at home. We must remain vigilant against manipulation. pic.twitter.com/xyXhGm9Dsr

— Élysée (@Elysee) May 11, 2025

The article also featured a close-up of the tissue before Macron picked it up.

Despite this, a lot of rumors continued, with some social media users changing the focus or still suggesting that drugs were involved in the meeting.

“If it was a tissue, why did Macron try to conceal it inconspicuously?” asked one user.

“And why, soon after it was hidden, did they all stop laughing and smiling and start acting strange and uneasy?”

Another said, “The problem wasn’t with the tissue. Suspicions were aroused by Macron’s handling and concealment of it. If it was only a piece of tissue, no one would act in the same way as he did.

“Why is Mr. Macron not taking a drug test and proving the disinformation theorists wrong?” a third person added.

While many would have just ignored the rumors, the French presidency has reportedly taken a tougher stance against misinformation.

“We weaken them by denying them when they emerge,” stated an Elysée official who asked not to be named.