Trump Says 'France Is Burning,' Tells France to Close Its Borders

President Donald Trump on Sunday declared that “France is burning!” and urged the French government to close its borders, blaming immigration for a weekend of riots, looting and arson across the country, according to a post on his Truth Social account reported by Politico Europe, Agence France-Presse via Gulf News, and Just the News.

“France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country,” Trump wrote, according to Politico Europe. “Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!”

‘Close your borders’: Trump blames immigration for France violence as unrest leads to 1,800 arrests

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— WION (@WIONews) October 18, 2026

A weekend of destruction

Trump’s post came the morning after the most destructive day yet in a month of unrest. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said police arrested more than 1,800 people nationwide on Saturday, according to AFP reporting carried by Gulf News and Mathrubhumi. By Sunday afternoon, Nuñez wrote on X that “more than 2,000 people have been taken into custody” and that “more than 600 police officers, gendarmes, and firefighters have been injured,” according to Politico Europe.

Rioters set fire to the town hall in Limoges, causing part of the roof to collapse, according to Politico Europe. The Times of India reported that the building is 143 years old. The Retail and Trade Federation estimated that about 1,500 businesses were damaged, with losses in the hundreds of millions of euros, according to Mathrubhumi, which cited AFP.

One Paris resident told AFP the morning after looked like the aftermath of a war, according to Mathrubhumi. Paris deputy mayor Lamia El Aaraje said the city had seen “a level of violence that we have never, I believe, seen before,” the outlet reported.

One demonstrator died during the main march in Paris, according to Politico Europe. Officials said the death was linked to a medical condition and was not caused by the violence, Mathrubhumi reported.

How it started

The movement grew out of student protests last month that featured school blockades and demands for better study conditions, and it has since become a broader protest against rising living costs, according to Politico Europe. France’s Interior Ministry put Saturday’s turnout at about 550,000 people, while the CGT labor union claimed 800,000, according to The Times of India.

French authorities have not established immigration as the cause of the unrest, Mathrubhumi noted in its report on Trump’s post.

Vance weighs in, Macron to speak

Vice President JD Vance had blamed Western immigration policy earlier in the day. “Western liberals imported the third world into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion. They ignored fundamental questions of assimilation and compatibility,” Vance wrote on X, according to The Times of India. Vance added that he hoped Americans were paying attention, writing, “This is the future congressional Democrats seek for your country,” according to Politico Europe.

French President Emmanuel Macron was set to “solemnly” address the nation at 8 p.m. Paris time Sunday after meeting with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and the ministers handling the crisis, according to Politico Europe. AFP, via Gulf News, reported that the unrest is piling pressure on Macron six months before the election to choose his successor.

Trump’s post puts the White House squarely on one side of a debate already roiling French politics, as the campaign for next year’s presidential race heats up, according to Politico Europe.

Sources

• WION on X: https://x.com/WIONews/status/2111841049295630832
• Politico Europe: Macron to address France after Trump describes country as ‘burning’
• Gulf News (AFP): Trump says ‘France is burning’, country ‘shattered’ by immigration
• Just the News: Trump reacts to violent protests in France: ‘Close your borders’
• The Times of India: Trump links France violence to immigration, urges border closure
• Mathrubhumi English: Trump blames immigration for violent protests, urges border crackdown

Reporting by Daily Beltway.