Trump says migrants have ‘taken over’ France, calls for border closure

US President Donald Trump has called on France to seal its borders, accusing migrants of sparking the chaos engulfing the country and using the riots to attack Democrats ahead of the US midterm elections.

Trump addressed a rally in Kansas on Monday, saying, “As you all know, you got a country that’s been conquered, looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists, and communists. And that’s happening to France. And that’s happening to France.”

“Not on our watch are we going to let that happen to this country,” he said, according to Reuters.

Previously, Trump had posted on Truth Social, writing, “The migrants have taken over France. They must close the borders, fast.”

The comments come as nationwide protests in France over high living costs, inflation and austerity government spending turned into violent clashes with police, looting and fires. Over the weekend, police detained more than 2,300 people in France.

The French President Emmanuel Macron denounced “unbridled violence”. In the meantime, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu imposed localised curfews in a bid to avoid further riots.

Trump has frequently attacked French President Emmanuel Macron’s migration policies, claiming that France’s border strategy caused the crisis. His remarks have also highlighted migration as an election issue in the US mid-term elections.