Trump blames immigration for France protests, urges border closure

President of the United States, Donald Trump. Photo: The White House

US President Donald Trump on Sunday blamed immigration for unrest during protests in France and urged the country to tighten its migration rules.

“France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

“Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!”

France was reeling Sunday from widespread damage during protests the day before that left a historic town hall torched and led to 1,800 arrests, piling pressure on President Emmanuel Macron six months before elections to replace him.

Trump’s post comes after similar comments made by Vice President JD Vance on Saturday.

“Western liberals imported the third world into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion. They ignored fundamental questions of assimilation and compatibility. They were told it would lead to this and they didn’t listen,” Vance wrote on X.

“I pray that France, a beautiful country of amazing people, will stop this madness before more of its landmarks burn,” he added.

Vance, who is seen as a potential presidential candidate in the 2028 election, also drew a connection to upcoming midterm races for congressional seats on November 3, where Republicans are not expected to perform well.

• Trump paused Russia sanctions to ‘analyse’ impact on global economy
• Trump’s new press secretary exits days after her appointment
• Anthropic proposes AI safety bill to US lawmakers

PUNCH Online reports that Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 1,800 people were arrested, with investigations under way “to identify the perpetrators of these acts so they can be brought to justice.”

In Paris, where police said a record 855 people were arrested, torched cars, smashed shopfronts and burnt debris scarred numerous streets.

Hundreds of shops were looted in Paris and other cities, including Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice and Strasbourg, during the protests over the cost of living.

Around 1,500 businesses were damaged, causing losses estimated in the hundreds of millions of euros, according to the Retail and Trade Federation.