Washington:
The United States has firmly rejected a suggestion by French politician Raphael Glucksmann that the Statue of Liberty should be returned to France, dismissing his remarks as unwarranted and politically motivated.
Glucksmann, a centre-left politician, recently stated that France should take back the iconic statue, arguing that the US no longer upholds the values that inspired France to gift the monument. His remarks were seen as a direct criticism of US President Donald Trump’s policies, particularly regarding scientific freedom and international relations.
“Give us back the Statue of Liberty… We’re going to tell the Americans, who have chosen to side with the tyrants and fired researchers for demanding scientific freedom — ‘Give us back the Statue of Liberty,'” Glucksmann said.
“We gave it to you as a gift, but apparently, you despise it. So it will be just fine here at home.”
The statement sparked a sharp response from the White House, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying that France would be “speaking German” without US help in World War II.
“Absolutely not. And my advice to that unnamed low-level French politician would be to remind them that it’s only because of the United States of America that the French are not speaking German right now. So they should be very grateful to our great country,” she said.
🚨Politicians in France are asking for the Statue of Liberty BACK.
Karoline Leavitt chose VIOLENCE:
“I would like to remind France that it’s only because of the USA that the French are not speaking German right now. So they should be very grateful to our great country”
WOW. pic.twitter.com/PuG864VYj1
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) March 17, 2025
The Statue of Liberty was presented in New York Harbor on October 28, 1886, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. Created by French artist Auguste Bartholdi, it was a present from the people of France to the United States, representing the common values of freedom and democracy.
While Paris does have a smaller replica of the statue on an island in the Seine, Glucksmann’s remarks were largely seen as a symbolic political statement rather than a genuine demand for its return.
A vocal critic of Trump, Glucksmann has strongly opposed the US President’s shift in foreign policy, particularly regarding the war in Ukraine.
He has also condemned far-right leaders in France, accusing them of being “a fan club” for Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)