State Department Says Trump Is ‘Spot On’ About France Protests After Macron Calls His Comments ‘Stupid’

The State Department told News Media that President Donald Trump is “spot on” in his assessment of France, after French President Emmanuel Macron condemned what he called “unacceptable and stupid comments” from foreign leaders about the unrest sweeping his country.

At a midterm election rally Monday, Trump claimed that “migrants have taken over France” and urged the country to shut its borders after a weekend of anti-government protests escalated into rioting and looting. He described France as a “once great nation” that was being “conquered, looted and burned to the ground” by migrants, jihadists and communists who, he said, oppose Christianity and Western civilization.

Macron responded Wednesday by alleging that the unrest had been accompanied by “foreign manipulation of information,” including AI-generated images depicting events that did not occur in France. He said that misinformation had fueled “unacceptable and stupid comments from many people including foreign leaders.” The French president identified Trump “among others” and rejected claims that France had been overrun by “hordes of migrants and Islamists,” calling those assertions completely false, The Associated Press reported.

Asked about Macron’s criticism, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott defended Trump, saying the president “is on point as he is consistently on point.”

“He has been clear about the dangers of mass migration for years, especially since the beginning of this administration, but certainly long beforehand as well. The president has secured the border on day one when it comes to the United States of America,” Pigott said. He added that the State Department would oppose international institutions that attempt to pressure sovereign countries into adopting policies designed to promote mass migration.

“Mass migration is inherently destabilizing. It is inherently destabilizing. It is something that we don’t believe solves problems, but actually creates problems,” Pigott said. He noted that Trump has repeatedly raised the issue, including in response to the latest protests in France.

Pigott said Trump had also addressed mass migration directly with world leaders during two consecutive U.N. General Assembly meetings, calling for an end to what he described as destructive policies involving illegal mass migration. He argued that those migration routes benefit criminal cartel networks, pointing to cartel activity along such pathways in the Western Hemisphere. “The president is spot on,” Pigott said, adding that the administration was taking concrete steps to end what it calls the era of mass migration.

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The Louvre and several other major Paris museums will close Saturday ahead of additional demonstrations planned in the French capital, according to the AP. Reuters reported that businesses in central Paris have begun boarding up windows amid fears of further violence.

French authorities said more than 3,000 stores had been looted, while approximately 2,500 people were taken into police custody in connection with the nationwide protests the previous weekend.

Pigott urged Americans traveling overseas to enroll in the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, or STEP. “That program lets you tell us which countries you’re going to so that we can provide real-time information to Americans in the country that have registered,” he told News Media.

More broadly, Pigott said State Department personnel at embassies and consulates around the world remain available around the clock to assist Americans abroad. “If you have an issue when you’re abroad, please contact the embassy or consulate,” he said, noting that officials can help with matters ranging from lost passports to security emergencies.