Trump Criticizes Macron’s Immigration Policies and European Unrest

President Donald Trump expressed criticism towards French President Emmanuel Macron’s immigration policies. He warned Macron that these policies were damaging France, mentioning unrest across Europe during an interview on ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’ “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 stated to Larry Kudlow.

Trump criticized France for allowing people into the country, claiming they opposed French culture and national identity. He highlighted unrest in Spain and Italy, suggesting that his administration’s border enforcement policies helped prevent similar issues in the United States.

“The people that are causing the problems are people that hate Spain and hate France and hate Italy,” he mentioned. “It’s interesting. Someone said, ‘They hate their art, they hate the buildings, they hate everything about France. They hate the people. And they let them come in.'”

On Thursday, Macron announced that his government would ban protests organized by “individuals or groups with no legitimate authority,” blaming “ultra-left groups” for the widespread riots and looting in France.

Trump’s comments followed the arrest of nearly 1,000 people in France on Saturday during nationwide protests, as reported by French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. Violence also erupted in Rome and Tirana, with protesters setting government buildings on fire.

Smoke billows around protesters as they march toward the Place de la Bastille in Paris on Oct. 8, 2026, as part of a nationwide protest movement over learning conditions. The orange vest carries the acronym “CGT” for the Confédération générale du travail, a trade union. Protestors carry a purple flag of La France insoumise, a political party, and a red flag of Fédération Syndicale Étudiante, a student group.

The protests reflected growing dissatisfaction with the French government. Protesters took to the streets with various grievances. The protests started weeks earlier, led by high school and university students frustrated by teacher shortages and poor school conditions. The movement gained momentum as major labor unions joined, expanding to criticize government austerity measures and concerns about wages, pensions, and the cost of living.

Addressing whether Americans should fear similar unrest in the United States, Trump referenced his administration’s border security measures. “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 claimed.

The Department of Homeland Security reported a 95% drop in southwest border apprehensions compared to the Biden administration, along with the first fiscal year with zero Border Patrol releases.

Fox News Digital reached out to Macron’s office for comment but received no immediate reply. The report contributors included Max Bacall, Greg Norman-Diamond, James Cirrone, and Brittany Miller from Fox News Digital.