Trump borrows from far right to blame unrest in France on immigration

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are pinning the violence that has swept French cities on immigration, a framing that Republicans at home are now turning against Democrats ahead of the 3 November midterms. The Guardian reports that the French unrest actually grew out of economic and school grievances.

Saturday's nationwide demonstrations, driven by fuel costs and weakening purchasing power, led to 1,800 arrests and the burning of a historic town hall. Curfews followed on Monday in several cities, parts of Paris among them. Students had started marching weeks earlier over teacher shortages, deteriorating school buildings and a murky university admissions process. The CGT union joined in, and fuel prices have risen since US strikes effectively closed the strait of Hormuz.

Trump posted that "France is burning!" and told Paris to seal its borders. Vance said Western liberals had brought the third world into France. Speaking before a Kansas campaign rally, Trump said he had cautioned Emmanuel Macron about letting people in. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Eric Schmitt echoed the message. Both leaders have also supported Marine Le Pen, while Macron's successor will be chosen in April.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →