--- description: French President Macron traveled to India for a visit with Prime Minister Modi, leading to a photo op — and a new political meme. title: Emmanuel Macron Hugging India's PM Modi Is a Meme Now image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta942857810083d54/69892a8e8fd2ee5f7535afc5/emmanuel-macron-narendra-modi.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Photo of Emmanuel Macron Hugging India's Modi Gets the Royal Meme Treatment  by [Raisa Bruner](/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 12, 2023 9:17 PM CUTPublished: Mar 12, 2018 7:30 PM CUT  Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron at AFS Palam on March 9, 2018 in New Delhi, India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron at AFS Palam on March 9, 2018 in New Delhi, India.Hindustan Times—Hindustan Times via Getty Images  by [Raisa Bruner](/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 12, 2023 9:17 PM CUTPublished: Mar 12, 2018 7:30 PM CUT French President [Emmanuel Macron](http://time.com/5015770/emmanuel-macron-interview-transcript/ "undefined") dropped by India over the weekend for France’s first state visit to the southern subcontinent since January 2016. He was greeted warmly by Indian Prime Minister [Narendra Modi](http://time.com/4901564/narendra-modi-india-70-independence-day-speech/ "undefined"), getting a friendly hug upon his arrival for the four-day visit. But with photographers stationed to capture every last moment of their meeting, Macron happened to emit a piercing glare in the direction of the flashbulbs at the exact time of their embrace. Now, that shot is getting the [royal meme treatment](http://time.com/4849577/justin-trudeau-emmanuel-macron-g20/ "undefined"), thanks to Macron’s very intense look. This isn’t the first time that the very photogenic Macron has captured the internet’s attention, of course; his [bromance with](http://time.com/4795597/justin-trudeau-emmanuel-macron-photos/ "undefined") fellow world leader Justin Trudeau is the [stuff of Twitter legend](http://time.com/4849577/justin-trudeau-emmanuel-macron-g20/ "undefined"). Perhaps this visit with Modi, which includes a number of potential deals around solar and [nuclear energy](https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pm-modi-macron-push-for-worlds-largest-nuclear-power-plant-in-india-1822646 "undefined") plants, will lead to even further photo ops and viral images circulating on the internet. For now, Macron’s look is keeping commentators occupied with finding the perfect caption to describe his eerie gaze while enveloped in Modi’s signature bear hug. Is he a [Lannister](http://time.com/4891351/game-of-thrones-jaime-lannister-kill-cersei/ "undefined") — or a Hindi soap opera villain? Here are some ideas. > [](https://twitter.com/AisiTaisiDemo/status/972775040017039360) > [](https://twitter.com/nishant0511/status/972812105337458694) > [](https://twitter.com/danicamclellan/status/972198738004393984) > [](https://twitter.com/Atharvp/status/972784006331682816) > [](https://twitter.com/Madan%5FChikna/status/972883842112638981) > [](https://twitter.com/fallenhero24/status/972796794169012226) > [](https://twitter.com/ankit2connect/status/972872243452592128) > [](https://twitter.com/jinendoshi/status/972903749042745345) > [](https://twitter.com/tweetsfromTH/status/973243579933085706) > [](https://twitter.com/scjessey/status/973256213189287936) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5196217/macron-modi-meme/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5196217/macron-modi-meme/"},"headline":"This Photo of Emmanuel Macron Hugging India's Modi Gets the Royal Meme Treatment","datePublished":"2018-03-12T19:30:17.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-12T21:17:58.000Z","description":"French President Macron traveled to India for a visit with Prime Minister Modi, leading to a photo op — and a new political meme.","url":"https://time.com/5196217/macron-modi-meme/","keywords":["Newsfeed","politics","viral"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta942857810083d54/69892a8e8fd2ee5f7535afc5/emmanuel-macron-narendra-modi.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta942857810083d54/69892a8e8fd2ee5f7535afc5/emmanuel-macron-narendra-modi.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"French President Emmanuel Macron Arrives In India For A Three-Day Visit","caption":"French President Emmanuel Macron Arrives In India For A Three-Day Visit","creditText":"Hindustan Times—Hindustan Times via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5196217/macron-modi-meme/","name":"This Photo of Emmanuel Macron Hugging India's Modi Gets the Royal Meme Treatment"}}]}] ```