President Donald Trump revisited his longstanding warning to French President Emmanuel Macron that France could “lose” its country if it doesn’t address immigration troubles.
“It’s not a school problem. It’s an immigration problem,” Trump told Fox News Digital Tuesday night after rallying in Texas in a final push for Republicans ahead of next week’s midterms.
“I’ve been saying that to President Macron for a long time, who I like a lot, by the way. But I said, ‘You’re going to end up losing your country if you don’t do something.’”
Trump’s call for France to close its borders follows student demonstrations that have devolved into widespread protests over local grievances, packing streets, sparking clashes and ricocheting across Europe.
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During a conversation with U.S. Ambassador to France Charles Kushner earlier this week, Trump told Fox News Digital they discussed France’s immigration problems, which he believes were behind the protests.
“You have people that hate France,” he said. “They hate the buildings, hate the art, they hate the people. And they’re in there, and you have to get them out.”
Trump called the situation in France and across Europe “very sad,” saying his warnings to Macron have spanned a decade.
“Something has to happen, and they better do something,” he said. “I’ve been saying it for 10 years, too.”
Trump has raised concerns about immigration in Europe for roughly a decade, dating back to his first presidential campaign in 2016. Macron became France’s president in 2017.
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Trump has previously credited his own immigration policies with preventing similar unrest in the U.S.
Macron accused foreign leaders last week of making “unacceptable and even stupid” comments, calling them false claims for political gain. He did not mention Trump or Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by name — both the U.S. and Israel are in the midst of high-stakes election cycles.
In France, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said “nearly 1,000 people” were arrested Saturday as nationwide protests resumed. Macron said “ultra-left groups whose aim is to bring down the Republic” are leading the protests and that those organized by “individuals or groups with no legitimate authority” would be banned.
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Remaining on high alert, Macron said anyone who loots or damages property will be forced to pay, as tens of thousands of police were deployed. A Fox News Digital investigation identified 50 Antifa groups among nearly 300 groups mobilizing around the protests, as well as a sprawling network of communist, socialist, far-left and anti-Israel groups.
Protests also spiraled in other parts of Europe this month, with violence breaking out in Rome and Albania’s capital, Tirana, where demonstrators set government buildings on fire.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Macron’s office for comment.
