President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have blamed immigration for violent unrest in France, but have not publicly addressed a separate wave of anti-government protests in Albania, where demonstrators have targeted a controversial tourism development linked to Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. The contrast comes as both countries experience escalating unrest involving young protesters, attacks on public buildings and clashes with police. Trump wrote 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. Close your Borders and take control, before it is too late!" Vance also blamed immigration for the violence, arguing that Western liberal governments had failed to address questions of assimilation and cultural compatibility. "Western liberals imported the third world into France and other countries in the name of diversity and compassion," Vance wrote on X.
"They ignored fundamental questions of assimilation and compatibility." Neither Trump nor Vance had publicly commented on the escalating unrest in Albania, where protests have targeted Prime Minister Edi Rama's government and a luxury tourism development backed by an investment firm founded by Kushner. Newsweek has approached the White House for comment via email. France experienced one of its most serious episodes of civil unrest in years over the weekend, as nationwide demonstrations against rising living costs and deteriorating conditions in schools descended into violence.
Authorities estimated that around 550,000 people took part in protests on Saturday, while organizers put the figure at approximately 800,000. The demonstrations had developed over several weeks, initially driven by students demanding better school facilities, more teachers and improved educational conditions. They then expanded into a broader movement against economic pressures and public services.
Violent groups set fires, looted shops and attacked public buildings in several cities. In Limoges, a blaze severely damaged the historic town hall while businesses and public property were targeted elsewhere. French authorities reported thousands of arrests and hundreds of injured police officers, gendarmes and firefighters.
President Emmanuel Macron condemned the destruction and promised legal consequences for those responsible in a nationwide televised address on Sunday evening. Trump, however, attributed the unrest to immigration, calling for France to close its borders, while Vance similarly used the violence to argue that European governments had failed to address integration and assimilation. In Albania, student-led demonstrations against Rama's government have escalated after months of largely peaceful protests over corruption allegations and a controversial luxury tourism project on the country's southern coast.
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