President Donald Trump says he personally warned French President Emmanuel Macron years ago that his immigration policies were “destroying France,” remarks he made during a Fox News interview as violent protests continued to spread across parts of Europe, including in Rome and the Albanian capital, Tirana.
Speaking on “Sunday Morning Futures” with Larry Kudlow, Trump recalled an early conversation with Macron. “I told Macron, when I first came in, I met him early. I said, ‘You are destroying France. You’re letting people come in that hate your country,'” Trump said.
Trump argued that France had allowed in people who reject French culture and national identity, and he extended the criticism to Spain and Italy, where unrest has also flared. “The people that are causing the problems are people that hate Spain and hate France and hate Italy,” he said. “It’s very interesting. Somebody said, ‘They hate their art, they hate the buildings, they hate everything about France. They hate the people. And they let them come in.'”
Trump contrasted the situation in Europe with his own administration’s border policies, which he credited with keeping similar unrest from reaching the United States.
Protests escalate across France
Macron said Thursday that his government would move to ban protests organized by “individuals or groups with no legitimate authority,” placing blame for the riots and looting on “ultra-left groups.”
The crackdown announcement came after nearly 1,000 people were arrested in France on Saturday as nationwide demonstrations resumed, according to French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez.
The unrest did not stay confined to France. Violence also broke out in Rome and in Tirana, where protesters set government buildings on fire.
The French protests began weeks ago, initially led by high school and university students angry over teacher shortages and poor school conditions. The movement broadened considerably after major labor unions joined in, pulling in wider grievances over government austerity measures, wages, pensions and the cost of living.
Trump points to U.S. border numbers
Asked whether Americans should be concerned about similar unrest taking hold in the United States, Trump pointed to his administration’s border enforcement record. “I think I stopped it. I closed the border. You know that we’ve had zero infiltration. We’ve had 0 illegal aliens in the last 18 months. It’s almost not believable,” he said.
The Department of Homeland Security has reported a 95% drop in southwest border apprehensions compared with the Biden administration, along with what it describes as the first fiscal year with zero Border Patrol releases.
Fox News Digital said it reached out to Macron’s office for comment but had not received a response.
