State Department Calls Trump's France Remarks 'Spot On' as War of Words With Macron Escalates

The U.S. State Department has backed President Donald Trump's views on France as "spot on" after French President Emmanuel Macron criticized foreign leaders for making "unacceptable and stupid comments" about the protests rocking the European country, opening a fresh war of words between Washington and Paris.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Fox News Digital that Trump's views on France are "spot on." Speaking at a midterms rally on Monday, Trump said that "the migrants have taken over France" and that the country should close its borders. He added that France, a "once great nation," is "being conquered, looted and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists and communists who hate Christianity" and "Western civilization itself."

Trump's remarks followed a weekend of anti-government demonstrations in France that evolved into rioting and looting. The protests, driven by anger over the cost of living and rising fuel prices, have drawn attention across Europe as unrest continued through mid-October.

Macron then claimed on Wednesday that "there was foreign manipulation of information" following the protests, including AI-generated images that showed scenes that never happened in France, which gave way to "unacceptable and stupid comments from many people including foreign leaders." According to The Associated Press, Macron said he was referring to Trump, "among others." He also said, "We've had people claiming that we were invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists, which is completely false."

Asked for a reaction to Macron's remarks, Pigott said Trump "is on point as he is consistently on point." He said, "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 added that, from the State Department's perspective, "we are going to oppose international institutions, for example, that seek to impose an agenda upon sovereign nations to encourage mass migration." In Washington's view, such policies serve no country's interest.

"Mass migration is inherently destabilizing. It is inherently destabilizing. It is something that we don't believe solves problems, but actually creates problems. And this is something the president has raised time and time again. He's raised it in reaction to these recent protests," Pigott said.

He also said Trump has raised the issue directly with world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly two years in a row, calling for an end to the destructive policies of illegal mass migration. That migration, Pigott argued, only helps criminal cartel groups: "That's something we see in our own hemisphere, for example. The fact that cartel groups have traveled along these migration pathways. So the president is spot on, he's bringing attention to this issue, he is taking action to address this issue and, from the State Department's perspective, we have also taken concrete action to end the era of mass migration."

Inside France, the situation remains unsettled. The Louvre and other major museums in Paris will be closed on Saturday as more protests are scheduled in the French capital, according to the AP. Reuters also reported that businesses in central Paris have started boarding up their windows over concerns of violence. French officials said more than 3,000 shops were looted, and some 2,500 people were taken into police custody in connection to last weekend's nationwide protests.

Pigott also had advice for Americans in France. "One of things that we really stress to Americans is that when they're traveling abroad, if they could please register for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (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 said. He added that State Department personnel at embassies and consulates around the world work 24/7 to help Americans, "from a lost passport to responses to a security situation."

The exchange leaves the French protests at the center not only of a domestic crisis for Paris but also of a growing diplomatic rift with Washington. How Saturday's new round of protests unfolds, and how far the two presidents' public dispute travels, will shape the next phase of the story.