The coverage linked unrest abroad to immigration, communism and American identity
On Monday and Tuesday, as Republicans struggled to convince voters across the country ahead of November’s midterm elections, hosts on Fox News, Newsmax and One America News used images from protests in France and Italy to frame the scenes as a warning for American voters. The Guardian’s Adam Gabbatt reported in an analysis that the conservative outlets had taken up the president’s line, describing Trump’s allies as “seemingly hoping” that the scenes in France could scare people to the polls.
The Guardian reported that Donald Trump sought to capitalize on the scenes of unrest in France, telling a crowd in Kansas on Monday that “migrants” and “communists” were responsible and that the scenes were “what the radical ‘Dumocrats’ want to do to America.”
Photographs accompanying the report showed a Paris protest against the cost of living and underfunded schools (Aurélien Morissard/AP); a demonstration by high-school students in Montpellier last week, where protesters clashed with police (Sylvain Thomas/AFP/Getty Images); and protesters at the Piazza del Duomo in Milan on Saturday (Piero Cruciatti/AFP/Getty Images).
On immigration and economic policy, Fox News host Laura Ingraham had Jamie Metzl on the channel on Monday to draw the comparison, the report said. Metzl describes himself as a “technology and healthcare futurist [and] geopolitical expert.” He said: “If you like what you’re seeing in France then you should support these DSA candidates who are essentially calling for the same thing here.” A few days earlier, Ingraham had spoken in front of a cartoon police flashing light with the words “A warning to America,” while a chyron said in all capitals: “Don’t let America become France.” Her warning was: “America, this is a warning. From the immigration disaster there, to the fiscal mismanagement, the same promises: free college, government-funded healthcare, tax the rich, climate change, open borders – they’re all being sold here, and they were implemented, some of them, here by AOC, Bernie, El-Sayed.”
Integration was a further theme. One America News, described by The Guardian as arguably the most rightwing of the three channels, was not about to be left out. On Monday, OAN invited Andrew Fox, whom the channel described as a “cultural expert.” The report said Fox had 433 followers on X. Fox said: “If we pay attention to what’s happening in Paris we can see our near future, if we don’t really toughen up immigration policy and the integration of how those immigrants become one with the nation they’re joining.”
The same day on Newsmax, Greta Van Susteren interviewed Republican Congressman Tom Emmer of Minnesota, who offered the same line. Emmer said: “Look, we’ve got the same example in this country that we better be watching what’s going on in France.” He said people should come to the country legally, chase their American dream and become Americans, and added, “We celebrate culture in this country like no one else.” Emmer continued: “If you don’t come to this country to be an American, what you’re seeing in Paris is what is going to happen. You cannot have a different country within your country.”
On Europe’s economy and style of government, Newsmax’s Bianca de la Garza asked former Republican senator Rick Santorum on Monday whether the situation in France was a “wake-up call for America.” Santorum said it was. He said: “The people who are running as democratic socialists or really just any sort of mainstream Democrats if you will, leftists, they want to bring the economy and style of government of Europe to this country.” He said that would lead to violent protests in the US. He added that “The standard of living of the average European is far below the standard of living of Americans,” a statement he said would surprise people paid to research such things.
The warnings about unrest came in several forms. On Tuesday, Sean Hannity, whom the report described as perhaps Fox News’ most prominent host, spoke over clips of fires in France beneath a chyron reading “A warning from Europe.” He said: “This is, sadly I argue, by design – an attempt by the left to destroy the free world, western civilisation, if you will.” He added: “This is a preview of coming attractions here in America.”
The report said most of the rest of Fox News agreed. On Monday, Jesse Watters played clips of protest violence in France and announced that the goal was “to replace communism with capitalism.” He added: “It’s already started to happen here.”
On Tuesday, Lawrence Jones read a tweet from JD Vance about France. Vance wrote: “I hope Americans are paying attention. This is the future congressional Democrats seek for your country.” Jones responded: “The vice-president is exactly right.” Jones then interviewed Ben Domenech, an editor at the Daily Wire, who also agreed with Vance. Domenech warned that the scenes were “the consequences of becoming apologetic about their values, viewing nationalism as something which is a dirty word.”
OAN host David Pollack adjusted the message slightly by extending it to Italy. He tweeted a video of protesters and wrote: “Now it’s happening in Italy: import the third world, and this is what you get. The sad thing was, this was all by design. And the Marxists are coming for the United States next.”
Across Fox News, Newsmax and OAN, the same themes recurred: immigration, economic and cultural policy, communism and nationalism. The coverage appeared aimed at the November midterms, with hosts warning that European unrest could preview violent protests in the United States. The Guardian said Republicans were struggling to convince voters across the country and described Trump’s allies as “seemingly hoping” that unrest abroad would make people vote Republican.
MSI previously reported that Trump previewed a midterm strategy portraying Democrats as “godless communists” at a religious conservative conference in June. The current report describes allied conservative media repeating a related warning, recasting French and Italian protests as warnings about immigration, communism and violent protests in the United States.