U.S. President Donald Trump said France’s student protests were driven by immigration and Islam. French media and ANSA also reported his remarks, made as demonstrations over school conditions spread nationwide.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that events in France were about “uncontrolled mass immigration,” not schools, and accused Islam of seeking to take over the country. Franceinfo reported the post on Tuesday, Oct. 6. Le Parisien and Italy’s ANSA news agency also covered the statement.
The post came as French high school students’ protests expanded. More than 250,000 people demonstrated nationwide on Tuesday, according to government figures cited by The Associated Press, calling for better education funding. Protesters have raised concerns about overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and deteriorating school buildings.
Franceinfo said U.S. commentators aligned with the MAGA movement had been sharing videos of the French demonstrations for several days, particularly footage of clashes between protesters and police. They presented the scenes as a warning in arguments about immigration and U.S. politics.
Franceinfo cited a post by commentator Dave Rubin on X as one example. He wrote that similar events would happen in the United States if Democrats returned to power. The outlet said Rubin has about 1.6 million followers.