The White House has firmly rejected a request from a French politician who demanded that the Statue of Liberty be returned to France, calling the suggestion “absurd” and urging France to remain “grateful” for America’s support during World War II.
Raphaël Glucksmann, a member of the European Parliament and co-founder of a small left-wing party in France, made the controversial remarks during a speech on Sunday. Glucksmann, speaking to his supporters, suggested that the statue — a gift from France to the United States nearly 140 years ago — should be handed back in light of what he described as the U.S. government’s stance on scientific freedom.
“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 declared. “It was our gift to you. But apparently, you despise her. So she will be happy here with us,” he added, drawing cheers from the crowd.
The White House quickly responded to the demand. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the suggestion, urging France to remember the United States’ critical role in liberating the country during World War II. “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,” Leavitt said. “They should be grateful.”
While Leavitt’s comments highlighted America’s wartime contributions, she notably did not mention France’s own vital role in supporting the United States during its War of Independence in the 18th century.
In a series of tweets late Monday, Glucksmann clarified that Europe remains deeply thankful for America’s role in World War II. However, he also expressed his concerns about the direction of the U.S. government under former President Donald Trump. “The America of these heroes fought against tyrants, it did not flatter them,” Glucksmann wrote. “It was the enemy of fascism, not the friend of Putin. It helped the resistance and didn’t attack [Ukrainian President] Zelensky.”
He added that his call to “symbolically take back the Statue of Liberty” was a response to what he saw as a betrayal of the values that the statue represents, particularly under Trump’s administration. “No one, of course, will come and steal the Statue of Liberty. The statue is yours. But what it embodies belongs to everyone,” Glucksmann continued. “If the free world no longer interests your government, then we will take up the torch, here in Europe.”
Glucksmann’s comments reflect the heightened tensions between Europe and the U.S. during the Trump era, with his statement serving as both a critique of American foreign policy and a symbolic call to reclaim values like freedom and democracy in the face of what he perceives as U.S. actions undermining those ideals.
