Hey, America: Give the Statue of Liberty back to France. The demand is coming from a French politician who is making headlines in his country for suggesting that the U.S. is no longer worthy of Lady Liberty. The monument was a gift from France nearly 140 years ago, per the Associated Press.
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What’s Tea With Lady Liberty?
Raphaël Glucksmann is a member of the European Parliament and co-president of a small left-wing party in France. He hasn’t claimed to speak for all of his compatriots. However, he gave a speech this past weekend that is shaking the table and stirring social media relations. Glucksmann shared that some Americans “have chosen to switch to the side of the tyrants.” His comments come amid the European chatter that President Donald Trump’s shifts in foreign and domestic policy are triggering.
“Give us back the Statue of Liberty,” Glucksmann said, speaking Sunday to supporters of his Public Place party, who applauded and whistled. “It was our gift to you. But apparently, you despise her. So she will be happy here with us.”
In additional comments, Glucksmann popped off about the Trump administration reportedly cutting funding for research institutions. “The second thing we’re going to say to the Americans is: ‘If you want to fire your best researchers, if you want to fire all the people who, through their freedom and their sense of innovation, their taste for doubt and research, have made your country the world’s leading power, then we’re going to welcome them,” the politician stated.
Can France REALLY Snatch The Statue Of Liberty?
The short answer? Dream on. UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural arm, notes that the iconic monument is U.S. government property. The organization has the statue on its list of World Heritage treasures. It was initially seen as a monumental gesture of French-American friendship to mark the 100th anniversary of the July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence.
Then, a war led by Prussia between France and German states in 1870 shifted the energy of the monument’s designer, a French sculptor named Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi. So, funding for Lady Liberty lagged. Ultimately, the French agreed to pay for the statue, and Americans would cover the costs of its pedestal. After being transported in 350 pieces from France, the statue was officially unveiled on Oct. 28, 1886.
French Politician Is On His Own…For Now
France, the country, is NOT calling for the Statue of Liberty to come home. French-U.S. relations would have to drop off a cliff before Glucksmann found support from French President Emmanuel Macron’s government. For the moment, the French president is treading a fine line. Macron is trying to work with Trump and temper some of his policy shifts on the one hand. On the other hand, he’s also pushing back hard against some White House decisions, notably Trump’s tariff hikes.
Still, Macron has let his prime minister, François Bayrou, be a more critical voice. Bayrou tore into the “brutality” that Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance showed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his White House visit. Additionally, he suggested that Trump’s administration risked handing victory to Russia when it paused military aid to Ukraine.
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But Glucksmann’s party has been even more critical. It has posted accusations on its website that Trump is wielding power in an “authoritarian” manner and is “preparing to deliver Ukraine on a silver platter” to Russia.
In his speech this past weekend, Glucksmann referenced New York poet Emma Lazarus’ words about the statue. She previously wrote, the “mighty woman with a torch” who promised a home for the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
“Today, this land is ceasing to be what it was,” Glucksmann said.
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Associated Press staff contributed to this report.
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