Speaking to reporters, Trump blamed the unrest exclusively on immigration and said he had discussed the need for strong borders with Russian President Vladimir Putin, asserting that migrants "are arriving and taking over the country." When asked about French President Emmanuel Macron's Sunday night speech attributing the cost of living anger to rising fuel prices caused by the war in Iran, Trump dismissed the claim as "fake news." French officials have not linked migrants to the weekend violence.
The tougher policing measures followed two days of nationwide clashes that resulted in more than 2,000 arrests and left over 600 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters injured. Saturday's marches, which drew an estimated 550,000 protesters nationwide, saw rioters set fire to the 143-year-old Limoges City Hall, causing its bell tower and roof to collapse, while crowds stormed municipal buildings in Marseille and Lille and looted stores across Paris, Lyon and Bordeaux.