US President Donald Trump has seized on violent protests in France to promote his hardline immigration policies and rally support for Republicans ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, as opinion polls point to growing challenges for his party.

Speaking at a rally in Kansas on Monday, Trump claimed France was being “conquered, looted, and burned to the ground by migrants, jihadists, and communists”, adding that his administration would not allow similar events to unfold in the United States.

Earlier, Trump recalled warning French President Emmanuel Macron that allowing large numbers of migrants into France was a mistake, claiming Paris would soon become “a Muslim city”.

In a post on Truth Social, he also called on France to close its borders, declaring that migrants had taken over the country, AFP reported.

Protests over the rising cost of living erupted across France over the weekend, with some demonstrations escalating into looting and clashes with police.

French authorities introduced partial curfews on Monday in response to the unrest.

Trump has used the violence to reinforce arguments for the restrictive immigration policies that helped secure his return to the White House in 2024. Analysts say his comments reflect an effort to turn developments in Europe into a political campaign issue at home.

“They’re taking this French crisis and turning it into a campaign argument,” JC Lintzenich, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund, told AFP.

Europe becomes part of US election debate

With Democrats favoured in opinion polls ahead of the November 3 elections, Trump and his allies have intensified efforts to mobilise voters behind the Republican Party and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.

Justin Vaisse, a professor of US foreign policy at Johns Hopkins University, said Europe had long featured in American political debates, particularly since the emergence of the MAGA movement.

Trump’s Vice President JD Vance also weighed in on Saturday, writing on X that Western liberals had “imported the third world into France” while neglecting questions of assimilation and cultural compatibility.

Economy remains key concern for voters

A Pew Research poll published this month found that the economy was important to 82 percent of US voters when deciding how to vote, compared with 59 percent who cited immigration and 36 percent who pointed to race-related issues.

Although Trump has pursued the immigration crackdown promised during his 2024 campaign, he has struggled to deliver on his pledge to curb inflation.

His tariff policies and the war with Iran have contributed to higher prices across the economy, while his approval rating has fallen to record lows, according to the report.

Vaisse argued that linking the unrest in France to US cultural and identity debates was unlikely to win Republicans new votes, although it could help energise Trump’s existing supporters ahead of the midterms.

The British government has criticised US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth for downplaying the contributions of NATO allies to combat operations in Afghanistan, saying his remarks diminish the sacrifices made by British and other allied forces.

The UK government said the contributions of the UK and NATO forces in Afghanistan were well documented, stressing that thousands of British and allied families had made significant sacrifices during the war.

“Their sacrifice and that of other NATO forces was made in the service of collective security and in response to an attack on our ally,” a spokesperson for the British prime minister said, adding that it was wrong to diminish their role.

The spokesperson noted that more than 450 British military personnel had died in Afghanistan and said their service and sacrifice would never be forgotten.

Hegseth, who served as an instructor with the Minnesota Army National Guard in Afghanistan, made the remarks in a speech on Saturday. He said that although 50 countries were represented at the NATO-led coalition headquarters in Kabul, only a small number had participated in combat operations.

He jokingly described the acronym ISAF, referring to the International Security Assistance Force, as meaning “I Saw Americans Fighting”, arguing that the mission had placed a disproportionate burden on US forces.

Nearly 2,500 US service members died during the Afghanistan war, while military personnel from more than 30 other countries also lost their lives, including 457 British troops.

The UK’s response echoed Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s criticism of US President Donald Trump in January, after Trump suggested that NATO troops had stayed away from the front lines in Afghanistan. Starmer described those remarks as “insulting and frankly appalling” and called for an apology.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says Tehran and Moscow share a common position on Afghanistan, reducing tensions between Kabul and Islamabad, and countering terrorist threats.

Araqchi made the remarks on Monday during a joint press conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Tehran.

Earlier, Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Albert Khorev said Moscow was working to ease tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Khorev said Afghanistan was discussed during Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev’s visit to Islamabad, adding that Russia had expressed its readiness to cooperate on the issue.

He said the closure of Durand Line crossings had negatively affected Pakistan’s trade with Russia and Central Asian countries. He also identified US sanctions as an obstacle to expanding trade.

Khorev said resolving tensions between Kabul and Islamabad would benefit the entire region and expressed hope that the Durand Line crossings would reopen as soon as possible.