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U.S. President Donald Trump said the unrest unfolding in France is not a minor riot but "like a full-blown revolution," arguing that the problem stems from immigration rather than education. Trump made the remarks to reporters in the Oval Office after a meeting on combating corruption.

Trump said Macron should have closed the country's borders long ago and warned that Europe must remove migrants or the European Union will cease to exist. Asked about next year's French elections, Trump left the door open to backing far-right candidate Marine Le Pen.

Protests across France

The yellow vests, backed by students, held demonstrations across the country on October 17 against the high cost of living and steep fuel prices. About 2,500 people were detained, and more than 1,000 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters were injured.

Roughly 3,000 businesses were damaged or looted. The town hall in Limoges and a tourism office in Lyon were set on fire, and demonstrators damaged the city hall in Marseille. Business owners whose premises were hit criticized the government's handling of the crisis.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Paris again on October 18. Local authorities decided to impose partial curfews in several areas, including Paris, Lille, Lyon and Nice, in an effort to prevent further demonstrations.

Key takeaways

• Trump said the unrest in France is "like a full-blown revolution," not a small riot
• He argued the problem is immigration, not education, and said Macron should have closed borders earlier
• Trump warned that without removing migrants, "there will be no such thing as the European Union"
• About 2,500 people were detained and more than 1,000 security personnel and firefighters injured in the protests