White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday addressed a French politician’s remark that the United States should return the Statue of Liberty to France.
The Context
French lawmaker Raphaël Glucksmann, a member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, said on Sunday at a party convention that the U.S. no longer deserves the statue, a gift from France nearly 140 years ago that stands on Liberty Island in the New York Harbor.
“We’re going to say to the Americans who have chosen to side with the tyrants, to the Americans who fired researchers for demanding scientific freedom: ‘Give us back the Statue of Liberty,'” Glucksmann said, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“We gave it to you as a gift, but apparently you despise it. So, it will be just fine here at home,” he said.
What To Know
Fox News’s Peter Doocy mentioned Glucksmann’s comments during Monday’s White House press briefing.
“There is now a member of the European Parliament from France who does not think the U.S. represents the values of the Statue of Liberty anymore,” Doocy said. “They want the Statue of Liberty back. So, is President Trump going to send the Statue of Liberty back to France?”
Leavitt responded: “Absolutely not. 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.”
Associated Press
Glucksmann referenced efforts by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash the federal workforce, including firing scientists, researchers and public health experts.
“If you want to fire your best researchers, if you want to fire all the people who, through their freedom and their sense of innovations, their taste for doubt and research, have made your country the world’s leading power, then we’re going to welcome them,” Glucksmann said, according to AFP.
The Statue of Liberty, which France gifted the U.S. in 1884 and officially unveiled in 1886, has a plaque engraved with an excerpt from the poem “The New Colossus.”
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore,” the plaque reads.
Trump pledged to initiate mass deportations on “day one” of his second term.
Glucksmann’s comment about the U.S. choosing to “side with the tyrants” is likely a reference to Trump’s decision to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of an effort to negotiate an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
In addition to leaving Ukraine out of initial talks between Washington and Moscow, Trump sent shockwaves across Europe when he and Vice President JD Vance berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an Oval Office meeting last month.
Trump then paused U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, after which Zelensky said he was ready to sign a rare earth minerals deal that the Trump administration has pushed for in exchange for continued aid to Ukraine.
What People Are Saying
French lawmaker Raphaël Glucksmann: “The U.S. no longer represents the values for which France gave the statue to the U.S.”
What Happens Next
The Associated Press also reported that despite Glucksmann’s comments, it’s highly unlikely France could get Lady Liberty back. UNESCO lists the statue as a World Heritage item that is the property of the U.S. government.
This article contains reporting from the Associated Press.
Update 3/17/25, 2:40 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Update 3/17/25, 3:25 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
