Donald Trump and his inner circle are using unrest in France to push unsubstantiated claims blaming the riots on immigration, even showing French protest footage at midterm rallies. But there is no evidence linking immigration to the unrest, and it's prompted French President Emmanuel Macron to accuse world leaders of making “stupid comments” at France’s expense. Trump’s focus comes as Republicans face mounting pressure ahead of the midterms and his approval rating hits a reported record low.
In recent days, Trump and members of his inner circle have repeatedly invoked the unrest in France to push unsubstantiated claims blaming immigrants for the violence, and rally his MAGA base.
At a midterm campaign rally in Kansas this week, Trump even broadcast footage of the protests, and warned that the United States could become “like France” if Democrats win the elections, and that it is a once-great nation that had been "conquered, looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists, and communists".
He's also criticised French President Emmanuel Macron, claiming Macron had failed to get the situation under control: “The whole world was coming in, and as you know, Paris is going to be a Muslim city very soon, and that wasn’t the deal,”
Other Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance, have echoed claims blaming immigrants for the violence.
But there is no evidence linking the unrest in France to immigration.
France does not collect official statistics on the racial or ethnic backgrounds of people arrested, making it impossible to establish the demographic makeup of protesters detained on those grounds. Nor is there evidence that immigrants, whether documented or undocumented, are responsible for the violence.
It's also important to remember how the protests manifested: demonstrations began with student protests calling for more teachers and improved school conditions. They subsequently widened to include other groups expressing frustration over the cost of living and high fuel prices.
Trump may have highlighted images of people of colour in footage of the unrest, calling them "migrants, jihadists and communists who hate Christianity". But France is a diverse society, shaped in part by its colonial history, particularly in the two largest Paris and Marseille, where the largest demonstrations have taken place. The presence of people of colour in protest footage does not establish a link between immigration and the violence.
Macron has criticised foreign leaders for making "stupid comments" to advance their own political agendas, saying "We saw AI-generated images showing scenes that never happened in France. We had people claiming that we had been invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists, which is completely false."
Trump’s focus on France comes as Republicans face mounting political pressure ahead of the midterm elections, which are just weeks away. A Reuters/Ipsos poll put Trump’s approval rating at 31%, reportedly a record low. The president has also faced criticism from within his own party, as Republicans seek to address growing concerns among voters.
It remains unclear whether using the unrest in France to reinforce his immigration message will resonate with American voters. US media reports suggest the cost of living and the war in Iran are among the issues weighing heavily on voters’ minds.
As the midterms loom, Trump is holding up France as a "warning" to American voters and rally his MAGA base against rising political headwinds, but the claims linking the unrest to immigration are not supported by any available evidence.