Donald Trump used a late-night post on Tuesday to settle an old score with Emmanuel Macron. In a lengthy message on Truth Social, the American president accused his French counterpart of ignoring years of warnings about immigration, reviving tensions between Washington and Paris just as Europe heads into a politically charged winter.
According to the post, Trump says he told Macron as far back as their very first meeting that France needed to close its borders « or that would be the end of France. » It is a blunt line, and Trump repeats it almost word for word, framing it as proof that he saw the crisis coming long before it reached its current scale. He argues that France is now grappling with a serious breakdown in internal security, linking a rise in violence directly to what he calls uncontrolled immigration.
The criticism does not stop at France’s border. Trump broadens his attack to the European left as a whole, accusing left-leaning governments across the continent of allowing millions of migrants in without adequate screening, and warning that Europe’s cultural identity is now at stake. He calls on European governments to tighten border enforcement immediately and to deport anyone who does not abide by the laws of the country hosting them.
The message then shifts tone, moving from grievance to something closer to a warning aimed at European capitals. Trump insists Washington still stands with Europe, but cautions that if the continent does not « get back on the right track » soon, the United States will have no choice but to scale back its commitments and reduce its footprint there. The remark fits a pattern the administration has pushed for months, pressing European allies to shoulder more of their own security burden.
The Élysée has not issued a public response to the latest broadside. Relations between the two leaders, already strained by disagreements over trade and defense spending, risk deteriorating further. The timing is notable: immigration remains one of the most divisive issues in French politics and across much of Europe, with several countries approaching consequential political tests in the months ahead.
Whether this latest outburst fades quickly or marks a turning point in an already uneasy transatlantic relationship remains to be seen.
