White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded sharply to French politician Raphael Glucksmann’s demand that the Statue of Liberty be returned to France. When asked about the statement, Leavitt firmly stated that Trump would “absolutely not” give back the statue, dismissing the idea as ridiculous.
Leavitt went further, saying, “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 was referring to the U.S. involvement in World War II, where American forces helped liberate France from Nazi Germany.
Glucksmann had made the comment during a political convention, criticizing America’s shift in policies under Trump. He argued that the U.S. was no longer upholding the values of liberty and democracy that the statue symbolizes. His remarks came amid growing tensions between France and the U.S., particularly over Trump’s tariffs on European goods and his stance on international scientific research funding.
The controversy has sparked debate on social media, with some criticizing Glucksmann’s statement as performative and others questioning whether America still represents the ideals that the Statue of Liberty was meant to embody. While no official response has come from the French government, it is clear that the diplomatic tensions between the two nations are continuing to escalate.
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