President Donald Trump put the blame for France's violent unrest squarely on immigration on Monday, telling reporters at the White House that "Paris is going to be a Muslim city very soon." He added that "that wasn't the deal" and said President Emmanuel Macron, whom he called a friend, should have closed France's borders a long time ago. Trump claimed he gave Macron that same advice when the two first met nearly a decade ago, and he contrasted it with his own approach of closing US borders. He also brushed aside the idea that the trouble is about schools, saying it comes down to immigration.

The remarks land in the middle of a crisis that began over rising living costs, education funding and strained public services. Marches on Saturday, Oct. 17 drew an estimated 550,000 people nationwide before turning into clashes with police, arson and looting of luxury stores, with more than 1,200 arrests reported. Trump's view is a political argument, not an established finding, and it fits his long push for tighter immigration controls. Others, including many of the protesters themselves, point to money worries and public services as the cause. It is still unclear how Macron and his government will answer Trump, and whether his claim will become another fight in an already tense week for France.