President Trump cast the upcoming midterm elections as a fight over “Western civilization” Monday, citing a wave of violent unrest in France.
“If you want to see what’s at stake in this election, just look at France,” Trump told supporters at a rally in Wichita, Kansas.
He portrayed France as “a once great nation that is being conquered, looted and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists and communists who hate Christianity.”
“And they hate, frankly, the Western civilization itself,” Trump added.
At least 2,400 people were arrested over the weekend as riots and looting spread through several parts of the country, including Paris.
The protests, led initially by students, began last month over school conditions before expanding to encompass the rising cost of living and inflation.
Authorities said at least 3,000 businesses in multiple cities had been damaged or ransacked.
In the town of Limonge, demonstrators set the historic municipal town hall on fire Saturday. The blaze destroyed the roof and clock tower of the 143-year-old building when they collapsed.
“When you see burning steeples and raging fires in France, just remember, that is what the radical Democrats want to do to America,” Trump said. “They expect to do it. They’re not going to come close.”
He went on to argue that “the Democrat agenda is a plan to extinguish Western civilization.”
READ MORE: UK Left-Wing Activists Threaten French-Style Street Unrest
“They want to open the borders … They want to shut down our power plants. They want to set loose the criminals, turn your children transgender, confiscate your money and raise up the Palestinian flag right in the middle of your wonderful state and, at the same time, they’re willing to defile our great and very beautiful American flag,” Trump said, adding, “We’re not going to let that happen.”
Trump blamed “third-world migrants” and “globalist left-wing politicians” for France’s unrest.
“They’ve surrendered their country to vandals,” he said of French leaders. Trump described the protesters as migrants who “refuse to assimilate” and “only want to enter the welfare state paid for by hardworking citizens of France.”
“This is what’s happening to France. They want it to happen to our country,” Trump said.
Trump traveled to Kansas as part of a fast-moving tour of Republican-leaning states ahead of the November midterm elections.
During the rally, he endorsed incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., whom he called “one of the best” senators, as well as Republican gubernatorial candidate Ty Masterson.
Trump also offered condolences to the victims of a “horrific car crash” in Wichita over the weekend. The crash injured 10 people and killed two, including a 6-year-old boy.
“We grieve for the beautiful lives that were lost. And pray for those who were tragically injured,” Trump said. “What a horrible event.”
The 34-year-old driver whose vehicle struck a crowd at the Stryker Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon was released without charges.
“We want to get to the bottom of what happened,” Trump said. “That was a terrible thing. And we’re going to give, and you have great law enforcement, but we’re going to give them whatever help they need.”
“We want to find out what happened.”
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