Trump points to France riots as warning for midterm voters
President Donald Trump blamed France's riots on migrants and urged American voters to look at France before the midterms. He said Paris will be a Muslim city very soon. The protests in France began over school conditions and the rising cost of living.
President Donald Trump on Monday held up the unrest in France as a warning to American voters, blaming the riots on migrants as he campaigned ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms, The Guardian and the New York Post reported.
"If you want to see what is at stake in this election, just look at what's happening in France," Trump said at a rally in Kansas, The Guardian reported. He described France as a once-great nation "conquered, looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists, and communists." The rally was for Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, who faces a tough race against Democrat Adam Hamilton.
Earlier, leaving the White House, Trump said he had warned French President Emmanuel Macron years ago. "You're making a big mistake in France. You're letting everybody from the world come in," he told reporters, the outlets reported. "As you know, Paris is going to be a Muslim city very soon, and that wasn't the deal," Trump said, according to the Post. He urged Macron to "close up your borders" and said, "Europe is finished" if it does not.
The Post reported that Trump made the remark when asked about Macron blaming France's discontent on the U.S. war with Iran, which raised global fuel costs.
The protests began last month with students demanding better schools and grew to take in fuel prices and the cost of living, The Guardian and the Post reported. The Guardian called Trump's claim that migrants had "taken over" France baseless. About 500,000 people protested Saturday before smaller groups looted stores and clashed with police, the Post reported.
Trump's message echoes France's far-right National Rally, whose president, Jordan Bardella, blamed ultra-left extremists and delinquents from the suburbs, The Guardian reported. Trump and Vice President JD Vance have backed Marine Le Pen.
France picks Macron's successor in April.
What we know: Trump blamed migrants for France's riots and told voters to look at France before the midterms.
What we don't: Whether Macron or French officials will respond to Trump's remarks.
Where outlets agree The Guardian and the New York Post both report that Trump blamed migrants for the riots in France and said he had warned Macron that he was making a big mistake.
Where they differ Trump blames migrants for the unrest, while The Guardian reports that the protests began over schools and living costs and calls his migrant claim baseless.