President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have blamed immigration for violent unrest in France, but have not publicly addressed a separate wave of anti-government protests in Albania, where demonstrators have targeted a controversial tourism development linked to Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The contrast comes as both countries experience escalating unrest involving young protesters, attacks on public buildings and clashes with police.
Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday: "France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country. Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!"
Vance also blamed immigration for the violence, arguing that Western liberal governments had failed to address questions of assimilation and cultural compatibility.
"Western liberals imported the third world into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion," Vance wrote on X. "They ignored fundamental questions of assimilation and compatibility."
Neither Trump nor Vance had publicly commented on the escalating unrest in Albania, where protests have targeted Prime Minister Edi Rama's government and a luxury tourism development backed by an investment firm founded by Kushner.
Newsweek has approached the White House for comment via email.
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What Is Happening in France?
France experienced one of its most serious episodes of civil unrest in years over the weekend, as nationwide demonstrations against rising living costs and deteriorating conditions in schools descended into violence.
Authorities estimated that around 550,000 people took part in protests on Saturday, while organizers put the figure at approximately 800,000.
The demonstrations had developed over several weeks, initially driven by students demanding better school facilities, more teachers and improved educational conditions.
They then expanded into a broader movement against economic pressures and public services.
Violent groups set fires, looted shops and attacked public buildings in several cities. In Limoges, a blaze severely damaged the historic town hall while businesses and public property were targeted elsewhere.
French authorities reported thousands of arrests and hundreds of injured police officers, gendarmes and firefighters.
President Emmanuel Macron condemned the destruction and promised legal consequences for those responsible in a nationwide televised address on Sunday evening.
Trump, however, attributed the unrest to immigration, calling for France to close its borders, while Vance similarly used the violence to argue that European governments had failed to address integration and assimilation.
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Albania's Protests Have Also Turned Violent
In Albania, student-led demonstrations against Rama's government have escalated after months of largely peaceful protests over corruption allegations and a controversial luxury tourism project on the country's southern coast.
The project is linked to an investment firm founded by Kushner.
Protesters have objected to the development alongside wider concerns about education, unemployment, living costs and alleged corruption.
Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Tirana, with the protests spreading to other cities as high school students joined the movement. Local media reported that protesters in the coastal city of Durres damaged a post office and blocked roads with burning barricades, extending the confrontations beyond the capital.
Violence has included attacks on government buildings and businesses, fires and clashes with riot police, who have used tear gas and water cannons in an attempt to disperse the furious crowds.
Footage captured at the scenes has even shown protesters throwing rocks and petrol bombs at police lines.
But the unrest has become a major challenge for Rama, who has rejected calls to resign and defended his government's record.
On Sunday, he argued that the demonstrations threatened Albania's ambitions to join the European Union rather than his administration.
"Albanians need to think very clearly: Do they want this, do they want that, or do they want the EU?" Rama said.
The European Commission condemned the use of violence while reaffirming support for the right to peaceful protest, while Albanian police said hundreds of people had been charged with criminal offenses during the demonstrations, with scores of officers and protesters injured.
The protests have also drawn attention to the tourism development associated with Kushner's investment firm. The dispute over the project predates the latest violence, with demonstrations against the development taking place over the summer.
Reuters has reported that it found no evidence of wrongdoing by Kushner in connection with a separate dispute involving land sold for the development.
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Why Has Trump's Team Focused on France?
Trump and Vance have both used the French unrest to reiterate their criticism of European immigration policies.
Their public statements have focused on immigration, assimilation and the political consequences of what they describe as liberal governments.
By contrast, however, the Trump administration has not publicly commented on the Albanian protests.
The difference is notable given the similarities between the unrest in the two countries, with both having seen young people take part in large demonstrations, violence erupt alongside protests, and police confrontations intensify.
However, the movements have different underlying grievances driving them.
In France, the demonstrations have focused on living costs and public services, alongside student demands for better schools. In Albania, the protests combine education and economic concerns with opposition to Rama's government.
The Kushner-linked tourism project adds a further dimension to the Albanian protests, given his family connection to the U.S. president.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Robert Greenall and John Fitzpatrick