Macron says Trump dislikes France and distorts its unrest

French President Emmanuel Macron said Donald Trump does not like France and distorts its troubles, according to the New York Times on October 21, 2026. Speaking in Qatar, Macron accused foreign leaders of making false claims about France’s unrest for political advantage, as authorities handled detainees’ hearings and prepared for further demonstrations.¹²

Dispute over the unrest

Macron said Donald Trump does not like France and distorts its troubles, the New York Times reported. Speaking in Qatar, the French president accused foreign leaders of making false claims about the unrest to serve their own political interests.²

Speaking in Doha, Macron accused foreign leaders of “using our country for their own political campaigns”, the Guardian reported. His criticism included Donald Trump, who had attributed France’s violence to migrants, jihadists and communists while campaigning for his party.¹

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also portrayed the unrest as an invasion by extremist Islam. These were political characterisations: the Guardian reported that analysts rejected claims that migrants were the principal driver of the French protests. It also reported the circulation of AI-generated images showing supposed events in France that had not occurred.¹

According to the Guardian, the unrest began with peaceful demonstrations about living costs and worsening public services before violent rioters took over. Paris, Marseille and Lyon were among the cities affected by rioting and looting. The government acknowledged that it had lost control of widespread rioting on Saturday, the newspaper reported.¹

Hearings and security preparations

At the Tribunal de Paris, judges oversaw expedited hearings for people detained during the recent unrest, according to the New York Times. Its account described proceedings that were often chaotic. The available reporting does not establish the charges or outcomes in individual cases.²

Macron pledged to prevent a recurrence of the previous weekend’s violence and said France did not require emergency rule. According to the Guardian, the government promised a substantially expanded security operation, with some troops expected to join police reinforcements. Partial overnight curfews had helped preserve relative calm in areas vulnerable to violence and looting.¹

Further demonstrations were being prepared. The Guardian reported that the gilets jaunes had submitted plans for a Saturday march through central Paris, while student groups sought more education spending. Trade unions called for nationwide mobilisation in November; talks between union representatives and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu produced no concrete announcements, according to the newspaper.¹

Political pressure beyond France

France’s National Rally attacked the government’s handling of the unrest. Its president, Jordan Bardella, called the government “impotent”, while Marine Le Pen described the state as “collapsing”. In Germany, AfD co-leader Alice Weidel linked the violence to immigration and warned of similar conditions in her country, the Guardian reported.¹

The debate extended to security policy elsewhere in Europe. According to the Guardian, Italy deployed 500 soldiers to Milan in response to street violence and issued emergency decrees that created a crime covering violent involvement in protests and imposed tougher punishments. Several countries issued travel warnings for France, the newspaper reported.¹