Speaker Johnson Calls France Riots a “Chilling Warning” for America as Trump Says “France Is Burning”

Breaking

House Speaker Mike Johnson says the violent riots sweeping France should serve as a warning to Americans. “France is descending into chaos because they wanted OPEN BORDERS — just like the socialist Democrats in America,” Johnson wrote on X. “What we are witnessing is a chilling warning for all Americans of what happens if the radical Marxist insurgent left gets their way.” Johnson tied the unrest directly to the stakes of the November 3 midterm elections.

The rioting broke out on Saturday, October 17, during nationwide protests. Official figures put turnout that day at 550,000 people, including 110,000 in Paris. France’s interior minister said 1,800 people were arrested nationwide, more than 800 of them in Paris, according to Fox News. About 600 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured. Rioters burned the town hall in Limoges and the tourist office in Lyon, and stormed the town hall in Marseille.

Details & Background

The protests began over the high cost of living, rising fuel prices and education costs, and Breitbart News reported that a youth revolt had been building for nearly a month. President Emmanuel Macron blamed the fuel price increases on the U.S.-Iran conflict. France’s centrist government has blamed far-left groups for the violence. Fox News reported that some protesters carried Algerian, Palestinian and Moroccan flags, and that figures on the right blamed France’s immigration policies. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu scheduled a crisis meeting for Monday on aid to damaged businesses.

Johnson argued that the same forces are at work in the United States. “If Democrats take back control, it will be open borders and criminal illegals overrunning our country,” he warned. Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) made a similar argument on X. “What’s happening in France is the progressive political agenda at its natural conclusion,” Gill wrote. He pointed to the combination of a massive welfare state and population growth through third-world migration.

Reactions

President Donald Trump weighed in on Truth Social on Sunday. “France is burning! The immigration of people from an entirely different world, people with hatred in their hearts, has shattered that once great country,” he wrote. “Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!” Vice President JD Vance agreed on X. “Western liberals imported the third world into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion,” Vance wrote. “They were told it would lead to this and they didn’t listen.” He added, “And I hope Americans are paying attention.”

Macron gave a very different explanation in a national address on Sunday. He blamed “extremists from far-left groups” and “criminals” for the destruction. “How can French people do this to France?” he asked. “Nothing justifies it, nothing explains it, nothing excuses it.” Macron separated the hundreds of thousands who protested peacefully from those who looted, saying, “We must not confuse legitimate demands with violence, nor allow violence to prevent these demands from being heard.” He did not address immigration as a cause.

Why This Matters to You

The scenes from France show how quickly public order can collapse when anger over prices spills into the streets of a deeply divided country. Americans are dealing with some of the same pressures, including higher fuel costs tied to the Iran conflict. The Trump administration has made border security and deportation of criminal illegal aliens central to its agenda, and Republicans argue that the scenes in France show what happens when a country loses control of its borders.

With the midterm elections 15 days away, Johnson, Trump and Vance are making the case that voters face a clear choice about the future of American borders. The causes of France’s unrest are still being debated there, and Macron has not pointed to immigration. But the images of burning town halls and looted streets have become part of America’s debate over immigration. The decision voters make on November 3 will help determine which path this country takes.