Macron blasts ‘stupid’ claims by Trump blaming Muslim migrants for French riots

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday criticised foreign leaders, including US President Donald Trump, for exploiting France’s tense social climate for political gain amid protests over soaring living costs that have led to rioting and looting.

Trump has used the unrest to rally his political supporters, making unsubstantiated claims that Muslim migrants were responsible for the violence. He urged Macron to “close your borders and take control before it is too late!”

Responding to the claims, Macron said there had been “foreign manipulation of information” following looting in Paris and other French cities last weekend.

“This has led to comments that are as unacceptable as they are stupid, from many people, including foreign leaders,” Macron said. Asked whether he was referring to Trump, he replied: “Among others.”

Macron said AI-generated images depicting events that had never occurred in France were also circulating.

“We’ve had people claiming that we were invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists, which is completely false,” he said. He did not specify which images he was referring to or explain how he had determined that the content was false.

Macron accused leaders involved in election campaigns of repeating AI-generated material or promoting narratives about the unrest for their own political purposes.

“They’re using our country for their own political campaigns — and we don’t need that,” he said.

Macron and Trump once enjoyed a good relationship, but the US president has regularly mocked his French counterpart in public speeches.

Macron made the remarks in Qatar at the end of a tour of key energy suppliers in the Gulf, where he sought additional fuel supplies amid an energy crisis and rising prices.

France secured an additional 100,000 tonnes of diesel per month from the United Arab Emirates, while a further 100,000 tonnes from Bahrain remained to be confirmed, Macron’s office said.

The Élysée Palace said the tour aimed to secure supplies of oil, gas, diesel and jet fuel. Nearly 295,000 additional tonnes of diesel per month could be secured, including volumes from Saudi Arabia, equivalent to more than 10% of France’s monthly diesel consumption, it added.