President Donald Trump warned at a Kansas rally on Monday that the United States could face unrest like that in France if Democrats win the November 3 midterm elections, framing the violence abroad as a cautionary tale for American voters.
Speaking in support of Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, Trump pointed to recent riots in France—sparked by protests over living costs and underfunded public services—as a scenario that could unfold in the U.S. under Democratic control. “When you see burning steeples and raging fires in France, just remember that is what the radical Dumocrats want to do to America,” Trump said, using a derogatory term for Democrats he has employed repeatedly. He offered no evidence for the claim.
Trump’s remarks echoed earlier statements blaming immigration for France’s turmoil. On Sunday, he asserted that “Paris is going to be a Muslim city very soon,” criticizing French President Emmanuel Macron for not closing France’s borders. “They let people into their country who don’t appreciate their buildings, their art,” Trump said at the White House before departing for Kansas. “I told Macron: ‘Close your borders!’”
The rally in Park City, near Wichita, underscored the stakes in Kansas, a state Trump won by 16 points in 2024 but where Marshall now faces a tight race against Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton, a Methodist pastor. Marshall, in his own remarks, framed the contest as a cultural battle, accusing Hamilton of being “too woke” for supporting gay pride parades—a line that drew boos from the crowd. Hamilton’s campaign dismissed the rally’s focus, stating that Kansans are “being crushed by rising gas and diesel prices” and struggling with healthcare access.
Trump’s approval rating has fallen to a record low of 31%, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll published Monday, as voter frustration grows over economic pressures, including gas prices that have risen about 45% per gallon in Kansas compared to last year. The president’s 32-day campaign blitz targets rural areas, where internal polling shows softening support among men aged 55 and younger, a bloc critical to his 2024 victory.
Civil rights groups have long criticized Trump’s rhetoric on immigration and minority communities, arguing it normalizes discriminatory attitudes. His latest comments in Kansas and Washington repeated themes central to his past campaigns, including warnings about open borders and the preservation of Western civilization.
![The affordability question Republicans can't escape One issue is breaking through even among the most loyal Republican supporters: gas prices.Why it matters: Republicans promised to slash gas prices. But the Iran war sent them soaring, up 37% since President Trump took office.Republicans call it temporary. But there are limits to what voters will accept.On recent campaign trips with House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), gas prices were the most frequent concern raised at events attended by Axios.These weren't rooms full of undecided voters. They were GOP donors, activists and supporters who had turned out to help Republicans win in November.Zoom in: The first question Scalise fielded at a campaign event for Republican Marty O'Donnell in Nevada was about high gas prices."Everyone's always worried about gas prices," the attendee said, asking whether Republicans could do more to promote Trump's efforts to expand domestic energy production.Another attendee pointed to the gas-price difference between California and Oregon on a recent trip, and asked whether Congress could intervene to ease state restrictions.Scalise acknowledged the impact of the Iran war on gas prices — and said they'd fall once it's resolved — but blamed Democratic energy policies for making the U.S. more vulnerable to rising costs. Zoom out: Emmer faced similar concerns during a recent campaign trip through North Carolina and Virginia."Four-dollar gas, five-dollar diesel, six-dollar diesel, totally unacceptable," Emmer told supporters at a North Carolina fundraiser. "But it ain't enough to make me vote for communists.""[Democrats] are talking about affordability. That's the problem. We need to be sensitive to the fact that gas and diesel are way up. Just sensitive to it because people are struggling," he told Axios in an interview. The big picture: Republican candidates are feeling the pressure too. Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton privately blamed the Iran war and gas prices for his campaign struggles, according to audio obtained by Axios."It's the war, it's gas prices, it's diesel," Paxton told donors at a closed-door fundraiser last month, calling affordability "by far our biggest problem."The bottom line: "I don't think gaslighting works," House GOP conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) told Axios in an interview last month. "I think if you meet voters where they're at and you have an honest conversation with them ... that's pretty refreshing to them."](https://images.axios.com/5k3VDoDHTJ3GinYFb7KLbuviHjI=/0x0:1920x1080/1366x768/2026/07/21/1784657069733.jpeg)
