Photo credit: ABC News
US President Donald Trump invoked violent unrest in France to attack Democrats and rally support for Republican Senator Roger Marshall in Kansas, warning that similar scenes could unfold in the United States if his political opponents prevail in the November 3 midterm elections.
The Times of India reports that Trump had earlier claimed he had warned French President Emmanuel Macron to close France’s borders, saying Paris would otherwise become a “Muslim city”.
At a rally on Monday evening, Trump blamed immigration for the unrest in France, where protests over the rising cost of living and declining purchasing power escalated into looting and clashes with police in several cities, according to Reuters.
“If you want to see what is at stake in this election, just look at what’s happening in France,” Trump told the crowd.
He described France as a once-great nation that had been “conquered, looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists, and communists”.
“We’re not going to let that happen to this country,” he said. “When you see burning steeples and raging fires in France, just remember that is what the radical Democrats want to do in America.”
Speaking to reporters outside the White House earlier on Monday, Trump repeated his criticism of French President Emmanuel Macron’s immigration policies, claiming he had warned him years ago to tighten border controls.
Trump’s remarks came as he campaigned for Marshall, who faces a competitive challenge from Democratic candidate Adam Hamilton, a Methodist megachurch pastor. Kansas, a conservative Midwestern state that Trump won by 16 percentage points in 2024, has not elected a Democrat to the US Senate in 94 years. Economic discontent and opposition to Trump’s tariff policies have complicated the Republican incumbent’s re-election campaign, Reuters reported.
