Trump says migrants have taken over France and calls for closing borders amid riots

Summary

Student protests that began as localized demonstrations in Paris last month over school conditions and the cost of living have grown into a nationwide movement, with thousands of arrests and clashes between police and protesters, Axios reports. The unrest has included rioting and looting, and President Emmanuel Macron condemned "unrestrained violence" by "insurrectionist elements from radical far-left groups, joined by numerous criminals," according to AP as cited by Axios. The French Interior Ministry said some 550,000 people demonstrated on Saturday and that about 500 police officers and firefighters were injured, while Reuters reported that a key union estimated 800,000 demonstrators. At a rally in Kansas on Monday, President Trump said France was being "conquered, looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists, and communists." The Hindu reports those remarks under a headline saying migrants have taken over France and the borders must be closed. Trump claimed, without evidence, that the unrest was about immigration rather than schools, and Axios reports the White House referred it to his Truth Social post echoing that rhetoric. Le Monde reports that Trump hailed Marine Le Pen as a "conservative voice" amid the unrest, and Axios reports that France's National Rally is seizing on the protests in its pre-election pitch.

Timeline

1. The Hindu

   20 Oct 2026, 02:05 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Trump, speaking at a rally in Kansas, said France was being "conquered, looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists, and communists," under a headline saying migrants have taken over France and the borders must be closed.

2. Axios

   20 Oct 2026, 15:30 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that the Trump administration is using the French unrest, which began over education grievances, to bolster its immigration and "communists" messaging, that Trump blamed the protests on immigration, and that France's National Rally is seizing on the protests in its pre-election pitch.

3. Le Monde

   21 Oct 2026, 01:54 UTCSource ↗

   Reports that Trump, at a midterms rally in Kansas on Monday, said France was being "conquered, looted and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists and communists," and hailed Marine Le Pen as a "conservative voice" amid the unrest.