Trump says migration drives unrest in France, Spain and Italy, citing Ceuta

Trump's warning to Macron and his migration claim

Donald Trump told Fox News in an interview published on Sunday, 25 October 2026, that he had warned French President Emmanuel Macron soon after taking office that Macron was destroying France by admitting people who hate the country. He said the people causing trouble hate France, Spain and Italy and do not come from those countries. Trump presented mass immigration as the driver of the protests in all three countries. He made the remarks during an interview he used to argue that his own migration policy had worked.

Spain and the Ceuta crossings

Trump said hundreds of thousands of people had entered Spain about a month earlier, which Europa Press and LaSexta link to the mass crossing into Ceuta from Morocco that began on 30 July. The outlets give different figures: Europa Press and LaSexta cite more than 80,000 migrants, while LaVanguardia and La Razón describe tens of thousands entering on 30 and 31 July 2026. None of the articles gives an official count, so the figures are presented as each outlet reported them. Trump compared the new arrivals with families who have lived in Spain for hundreds of years and described the newcomers as angry people. He also argued that US crime is at its lowest level in 100 years, even though, in his account, many criminals had been let in.

Unrest in France and Barcelona

Trump connected the disturbances in France to the migration debate, referring to unrest in France in the days before the interview. LaVanguardia reported that disturbances broke out in Barcelona on Saturday, 24 October 2026, caused by groups of rioters, most of them very young. The articles do not report an official explanation for the causes of either episode. The link between the unrest and migration comes from Trump's own remarks rather than from any police or government statement. Trump's comments on France and Barcelona were tangential to the interview, which focused mainly on Spain and the Ceuta crossings.

Campaign tour and the midterms

Trump's remarks came during a campaign tour meant to reverse poor polling for Republicans, according to LaVanguardia and La Razón. The midterm elections are scheduled for 3 November 2026, and the articles present migration and security as central to his campaign message. After the Fox appearance Trump was due to hold a rally in Michigan, a day after former president Barack Obama campaigned in the state for Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. In the same interview Trump said he still had to decide on Iran, either destroying it, which he said would be very easy to do, or reaching a deal. The articles do not report a decision on Iran.