French media are on the defensive after journalists unexpectedly entered a train carriage carrying French President Emmanuel Macron, along with the German and British Prime Ministers, en route to Kyiv on Friday, which sparked a firestorm on social media with allegations of cocaine use by the top leaders.
"They [social media users] cite videos that allegedly show Emmanuel Macron discreetly hiding a strange white bag on the table," the French daily newspaper Libération said, adding, "And according to these accounts, Friedrich Merz even had a straw to use to take drugs. These conspiracy accusations fit with the narrative that Western elites are depraved and approach war unconsciously."
When reporters entered the room, Macron was meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on a train ride from Poland to Ukraine.
The video.
NEW: French media is shutting down social media rumors that French President Emmanuel Macron was caught with a bag of cocaine during a trip to Ukraine.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 11, 2025
The moment was caught during a train ride from Poland to Ukraine when reporters entered the room.
Macron was meeting with the… pic.twitter.com/RMoKQ5VkUt
Libération rushed to the defense of Macron and the Western leaders:
Several internet users, sharing posts favorable to Vladimir Putin, have claimed that the three men had used cocaine together. "Coke will decide World War III," one of them feigned concern.
Libération even suggested:
High-quality photographs and videos, such as those taken by the AFP or AP news agencies , show that the mysterious bag of white powder is actually a handkerchief rolled into a ball that was placed on the table before Keir Starmer arrived and the cameras entered the booth, where Macron and Merz were already seated. The straw looks more like a stirrer or a toothpick, which the German chancellor is said to have been fiddling with. This explains why the two leaders do not want these objects immortalized in the images of the meeting.
Maybe Libération's defense of Macron and the other Western leaders is accurate — perhaps it really was just a 'handkerchief' and a 'toothpick.' But the real red flag is the leaders' abrupt and suspicious behavior as they scrambled to cover up whatever was on the table when journalists unexpectedly entered the train carriage.
Cocaine allegations come as no surprise, considering the leaders were inbound to visit this guy...
Zelensky is visibly high as hell on MSNBC…
— Clandestine (@WarClandestine) February 26, 2024
How much longer are we going to let this clown show go on?
This man is coked out of his mind while getting asked about the war he is losing. This is the guy Congress wants to give another $60 billion of our money to… pic.twitter.com/K0m06ZvRE9
This song seems appropriate...
Coaine or no cocaine. The optics here are not good.