Macron slams Trump for ‘stupid’ comments about French riots and warns public of ‘foreign manipulation’

French President Emmanuel Macron accused President Donald Trump of making “stupid” and “unacceptable” comments about the riots that have ravaged Paris, accusing him of twisting the chaos for his own political gain.

Speaking to the press while visiting Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday, Macron said there was no evidence of foreign actors instigating the protests but lamented the “foreign manipulation of information” he has observed “in the aftermath.”

“There are people who campaign at France’s expense — leaders who are in campaign mode, whether here in the region or on the other side of the Atlantic,” the French president said. “And that has led to comments that are as unacceptable as they are stupid, from many people, including foreign leaders.”

He accused other world leaders of “using our country for their own political campaigns” and spreading narratives “that certain circles are clearly trying to promote” — in particular, claims that France was “invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists, which is completely false.”

Trump and other officials within his administration have commented repeatedly on the Paris riots and drawn connections between the chaos and mass immigration.

The president, who is working to support fellow Republicans ahead of treacherous midterm elections, claimed Monday that France is “under siege, looted and set ablaze by migrants, jihadists and communists” and previously urged Macron’s government to “CLOSE THE BORDERS, FAST!”

“It’s immigration, and I told President Macron, ‘Close up your borders. … You’re going to have nothing but trouble,’ and they’ve got a lot of trouble,” Trump told the press this week. “They let people into their country that don’t love their country.”

Trump’s total closure of the U.S. southern border to illegal immigrants has been a signature policy of his second term, resulting in the lowest level of apprehensions at the border since 1970. He has also overseen a massive build-out of immigration law enforcement operating across the state, resulting in high-profile roundups of illegal immigrants from California to Minnesota.

The White House has advocated countries across the West to implement similar solutions.

Asked by a reporter if his criticisms were directed at Trump, Macron replied, “Among others.”

People watch a burned-out car after a quiet night Monday under curfew, the first since weekend protests over the cost of living turned into rioting and looting across France on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

“The fact is, all the people who are speaking ill of our country right now are people who don’t love our country,” Macron said. “So those people really bother me.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also in the midst of campaign season, is another world leader who has hammered Macron and his government for their handling of the riots and blamed the situation on immigration.

LE PEN VOWS TO END ‘DECADES OF ANARCHIC IMMIGRATION’ AS FRANCE IS TORN APART BY RIOTS

France “did not prepare in time — they simply gave up. They succumbed to the invasion of extremist Islam,” Netanyahu said Wednesday. He claimed to have previously told Macron that “if we do not eliminate them here, you will have them in Paris” and added, “That is exactly what is happening.”

The Paris riots seem to have paused for the moment, but protesters are preparing to resume their demonstrations this week — threatening to restart the bedlam.

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