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EASTORA REPORT | Donald Trump says the unrest sweeping France has moved beyond anything he would call a riot or protest.
“If you look at what’s going on in France, I have never seen anything like that,” the U.S. president said when asked about recent unrest in Europe. “That wasn’t a little bit of a riot or protest; that was a full-on revolution.”
The description is Trump’s characterization of a protest movement that began with anger over education and has widened to include the cost of living, fuel prices and purchasing power. Large demonstrations have remained peaceful in many places, while others have descended into looting, fires and clashes with police.
Trump has increasingly made France part of his own political message. At a campaign rally in Kansas on Monday, he pointed to the unrest as a warning to U.S. voters ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, saying Americans should “look at what’s happening in France” to understand what he believes is at stake.
He has repeatedly blamed immigration for the turmoil, while the demonstrations themselves have brought together grievances ranging from schools and public spending to wages and living costs.
Trump’s language has escalated with the unrest. Days ago, he joked that France was “so damn good for revolutions.”
Now he is no longer using the word as a joke.
“That was a full-on revolution,” Trump said.