Trump says France unrest is about immigration, claims he warned Macron to close borders
In short
US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on 19 October that protests in France are "not a school issue" but an immigration issue. He said he had told French President Emmanuel Macron at their first meeting that Paris would soon be a Muslim city unless borders were closed.
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US President Donald Trump said on 19 October (local time) that the protests in France are "not a school issue, it is an immigration issue". Speaking to reporters at the White House, he said, according to Yonhap and Kukmin Ilbo, that the protests by students against poor educational conditions in France have spread beyond the country across Europe. Hankook Ilbo quoted him as saying that what is happening in France is not about schools or anything else but immigration. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Trump said, "They let in people who don't love their country, don't love buildings and don't love art." Hankook Ilbo reported that he added this was why riots broke out. He said France had ruined the country and that, although recovery would be hard, he wanted France to come back. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Trump recounted that when he first met French President Emmanuel Macron he told him: "You are making a big mistake in France. You are letting in people from all over the world. Paris will very soon be a Muslim city," and "Close the borders. Otherwise you will ruin the country." Hankook Ilbo reported that he added: "We closed our border, but he didn't." [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Yonhap and Kukmin Ilbo reported that Trump said he had urged not only Macron but also Russian President Vladimir Putin and other European leaders to close their borders. He asked, "Do you know who agreed with me? Some leaders you don't like." He also pointed to Italy and France, said the issue was tied to immigration and that he had told them this would happen, and called it "like a boiler about to explode". [ 1 , 2 ]
Hankook Ilbo reported Trump as saying he had told many leaders that immigration would cause a huge problem across Europe, adding, "I was right." He described Europe as a boiler waiting to burst and said it was very sad to watch. He claimed that unless borders are closed and the criminals protesting are sent out, Europe is finished. Hankook Ilbo said he spoke before leaving the White House for a midterm election campaign event in Kansas. [ 3 ]
Yonhap and Kukmin Ilbo noted that Trump has consistently named accepting immigrants as the cause of the anti-government protests in France and elsewhere in Europe. After the protests in France escalated on 17 October into arson, looting and violence against authorities, he wrote on Truth Social on 18 October that immigrants from a completely different world, with hatred in their hearts, had torn apart a once-great country. On 6 October he had also written on Truth Social that the protests were about "uncontrolled mass immigration" and Islam trying to take over a once-great country. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The remarks continue Trump's public linking of the French protests to immigration, which he has made in social media posts on 6 and 18 October. The documents carry no response from Macron or the French government, so the account of the earlier conversation rests on Trump's own words.
Key facts
- Trump spoke to reporters at the White House on 19 October (local time) about the unrest in France. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Trump said the unrest is "not a school issue, it is an immigration issue"; Yonhap and Kukmin Ilbo describe the protests as student protests against poor educational conditions that have spread beyond France across Europe. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Trump said that when he first met Macron he told him: "You are making a big mistake in France. You are letting in people from all over the world. Paris will very soon be a Muslim city," and "Close the borders. Otherwise you will ruin the country." [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Trump said he also urged Russian President Vladimir Putin and other European leaders to close their borders, and said some leaders "you don't like" agreed with him. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Trump described the situation as "like a boiler about to explode". [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Hankook Ilbo quoted Trump as saying "We closed our border, but he didn't" and that Europe is finished if borders are not closed and the protesting criminals are not sent out. [ 3 ]
- On 18 October Trump wrote on Truth Social that "France is burning", after the protests escalated into arson, looting and violence against authorities on 17 October, according to Yonhap and Kukmin Ilbo. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Trump told reporters at the White House on 19 October that the unrest in France is an immigration issue, not a school issue. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Trump said he told Macron at their first meeting that Paris would very soon become a Muslim city and that he should close the borders or ruin the country. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Trump said France has "ruined the country" and that he wants it to come back. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- What Trump said to Macron at their first meeting. The account comes only from Trump's own remarks; the documents carry no comment from Macron or the French government.
- Whether immigration is the cause of the protests. This is Trump's assertion; Yonhap and Kukmin Ilbo describe the protests as students reacting to poor educational conditions, and the documents give no evidence on the cause either way.
- Which leaders agreed with Trump. Trump referred only to "some leaders you don't like" and did not name them in the documents.