President Donald Trump has blamed immigration for the unrest sweeping France and urged the country to tighten its borders. French President Emmanuel Macron hit back, calling some foreign leaders' comments both unacceptable and stupid, and saying claims that migrants and Islamists caused the riots are false.
Key points
- On Sunday, October 18, 2026, Trump posted on Truth Social that "France is burning" and told the country to close its borders before it is too late.
- The post followed similar comments by Vice President JD Vance on X.
- The unrest began as protests over the soaring cost of living. Gulf News reports 1,800 arrests and a historic town hall set on fire.
- Macron accused foreign actors of manipulating information, including with AI-generated images of events that never happened.
- Asked whether he meant Trump, Macron said Trump was among those he meant.
What Trump said
In a short post on his Truth Social platform, archived by Trump's Truth, the president opened with "France is burning!" He blamed immigration by people from what he called an entirely different world, whom he described as having hatred in their hearts, for shattering a once great country. He ended by urging France to close its borders and take control before it was too late.
According to Gulf News, the post came the day after Vice President JD Vance argued on X that Western liberals had "imported the third world" into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion. Vance also wrote that he hoped France would stop what he called madness before more of its landmarks burned.
In a later, longer Truth Social post endorsing Kansas Senator Roger Marshall, Trump repeated the theme, saying Europe had to close its borders and recalling that, years ago, he had warned Macron that failing to close the border would be the end of France.
Correction note: an earlier version of this article described Trump as a "former" president. Donald Trump is the current President of the United States.
What is actually happening in France
The protests began over the rising cost of living. NBC News, citing the Associated Press, reports that they have led to widespread rioting and looting, and that France has imposed curfews. Gulf News reports that the protests on Saturday, October 17, left a historic town hall torched and led to 1,800 arrests, putting pressure on Macron six months before the election to choose his successor.
NBC describes Trump's claims that Muslim migrants are responsible for the unrest as unsupported by evidence. The protests have been driven largely by anger over living costs and energy prices.
Macron's response
Speaking in Qatar at the end of a Gulf tour to secure energy supplies, Macron said foreign actors had manipulated information after the looting in Paris and other French cities, NBC reported.
He said this had led many people, foreign leaders included, to make comments that were "as unacceptable as they are stupid." Asked if he meant Trump, he said Trump was one of them, among others.
Macron went on to say that AI-generated images had shown scenes that never happened in France, and that claims the country had been overrun by migrants and Islamists were completely false. NBC noted that he did not say which images he meant or how he knew they were fake.
He also accused leaders in the middle of election campaigns, both in Europe and across the Atlantic, of using France for their own political ends, and said the country did not need it.
The energy angle
Macron's Gulf trip shows how central fuel prices are to the crisis. According to NBC, he secured an extra 100,000 metric tons of diesel per month from the United Arab Emirates, with a further 100,000 tons to be confirmed in Bahrain. The Élysée said nearly 295,000 additional tons per month could be secured, including from Saudi Arabia, which it said is equivalent to more than 10% of France's monthly diesel consumption.
The US political context
The comments also come ahead of US congressional midterm elections on November 3. Gulf News notes that Vance drew a connection between France and those races. In his longer post, Trump pointed to the fires in France to attack Democrats.
Why it matters
France's unrest has become part of a wider political argument about immigration in Europe and the United States. The facts reported so far point to a cost-of-living and energy crisis, while the immigration framing comes mainly from political leaders abroad. When AI-generated images are also spreading, readers should be cautious with dramatic photos and claims and check them against reliable news reports before sharing.
Sources
- Trump's Truth archive: "France is burning!" post (October 18, 2026)
- Donald J. Trump on Truth Social: Roger Marshall endorsement post
- Gulf News: Trump says "France is burning"
- NBC News (AP): Macron blasts "stupid" claims by Trump and others
- The Washington Post: Macron slams claims blaming migrants for French riots
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