France riots become Republican midterm boogeyman
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A protester holds a smoke flare and a French flag during a demonstration in Paris on October 17. Photo: Kiran Ridley / AFP via Getty Images
As the French right-wing National Rally is seizing on fiery protests in the country for its pre-election pitch, so are President Trump and his Republican allies in the U.S.
The big picture: The Trump administration has used the unrest, which began over education grievances, to bolster its messaging on immigration and the threat of "communists," a group Trump has repeatedly claimed is threatening American civilization.
Driving the news: "When you see burning steeples and raging fires in France, just remember that is what the radical 'Dumocrats' want to do to America," Trump said before a Kansas rally crowd Monday.
- He claimed France was being "conquered, looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists and communists who hate Christianity" and "the Western civilization itself."
- Speaking earlier to reporters, the president claimed, without evidence, that the situation in France was about "immigration, not schools." He's repeatedly blamed immigration for the protests.
- The White House referred Axios to the president's Truth Social post echoing that rhetoric.
Catch up quick: Localized demonstrations by high school students that began in Paris last month have broadened into a massive nationwide movement over poor school conditions and costs of living, sparking thousands of arrests and clashes between police and protesters, Axios' Bec Falconer reports.
- The civil unrest gave way to rioting and looting, leading French President Emmanuel Macron to condemn "unrestrained violence" by "insurrectionist elements from radical far-left groups, joined by numerous criminals," per the AP.
- Some 550,000 people demonstrated in France Saturday, per the interior ministry, though Reuters reported that a key union estimated 800,000.
- On the sidelines, "thugs" chose "violence," per a translation of the interior ministry's statement, which added that some 500 police officers and firefighters were injured.
- The forceful police response to student demonstrators has also been scrutinized, sparking dozens of probes into officer conduct.
Zoom out: Other U.S. Republicans have followed Trump in evoking the protests, which have spread to other countries, to rally voters and condemn immigration.
- Vice President Vance wrote on X, "Western liberals imported the third world into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion," sharing a video of a historic town hall reportedly set ablaze by masked protesters, per AFP.
- "This is the future congressional Democrats seek for your country," Vance contended.
Yes, but: Macron, per a translation of his nationwide address over the weekend protests, said the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators had "legitimate demands" and should not be conflated with violent rioters.
- He said those concerns included the cost of living and fuel price spikes triggered by the war in Iran.
The bottom line: The spiraling violence has created global shock that Trump is harnessing as a boogeyman ahead of an uphill midterm battle.
Go deeper: Police, protesters clash in Paris as tens of thousands rally across France
