State Department Says Trump Is 'Spot On' About France Protests and Mass Migration After Macron Calls Foreign Comments 'Stupid'
Spokesman Tommy Pigott answered Macron's complaint about foreign leaders' remarks. French officials say more than 3,000 shops were looted and about 2,500 people detained in last weekend's unrest.
The State Department says President Trump is right about the unrest in France, Fox News reports, a day after French President Emmanuel Macron criticized foreign leaders for commenting on it.
What Trump said. At a midterms rally Monday, Trump said "the migrants have taken over France" and that the country should close its borders. He called France a "once great nation" being "conquered, looted and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists and communists who hate Christianity."
What Macron said. On Wednesday, according to the Associated Press, Macron said there had been "foreign manipulation of information" around the protests, including AI-generated images of scenes that never happened. He said that produced "unacceptable and stupid comments from many people including foreign leaders," and that he meant Trump "among others." He also said claims that France was "invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists" were "completely false."
The State Department's reply. Spokesman Tommy Pigott told Fox News Digital that Trump "is on point as he is consistently on point." He said the president has warned for years about the dangers of mass migration and "is spot on." Pigott said the State Department will oppose international institutions that "seek to impose an agenda upon sovereign nations to encourage mass migration." He added that "mass migration is inherently destabilizing" and that cartel groups have used migration pathways.
On the ground. Fox cites the AP in reporting that the Louvre and other major Paris museums will close Saturday as more protests are scheduled, and Reuters in reporting that some businesses in central Paris are boarding up windows. French officials say more than 3,000 shops were looted and about 2,500 people were taken into police custody after last weekend's nationwide protests. Pigott also urged Americans traveling abroad to register for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.
Note for readers: Trump's and Macron's remarks are as Fox and the AP report them. The report does not say what prompted the protests beyond calling them anti-government demonstrations, and it does not include a French government reply to Pigott. We covered the police deployment for Saturday's protests in an earlier story.