French politician says US should return Statue of Liberty

David Matthews, New York Daily News on Mar 17, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

A French European parliament member quipped over the weekend that the U.S. should return the Statue of Liberty to France after President Donald Trump decided “to side with the tyrants” against Ukraine.

Raphaël Glucksmann, a a member of the European Parliament and co-president of Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, a small left-wing party in France, suggested in a speech Sunday that the U.S. was no longer worthy of the gift it received from France in the 1880s.

Glucksmann accused Trump and other Americans of choosing “to switch to the side of the tyrants.”

“Give us back the Statue of Liberty,” he joked. “It was our gift to you. But apparently you despise her. So she will be happy here with us.”

Glucksmann’s comments came after the administration suspended aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine to speed up negotiations to end the war, which started in Feb. 2022 when Russian launched its invasion.

The U.S. later resumed intelligence sharing and security support amid productive talks on a ceasefire proposal.

Glucksmann also alluded to the current administration’s immigration policies, by referencing New York poet Emma Lazarus’ words about the statue, the “mighty woman with a torch” who welcomed the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

“Today, this land is ceasing to be what it was,” he said.

Trump’s White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, dismissed Glucksmann’s demand Monday, describing him as an “unnamed low-level French politician” who should be grateful he isn’t speaking German, a reference to the Nazi’s invasion of the country during World War 2.

Glucksmann’s request is unlikely to be granted.

UNESCO, the United Nations’ organization that includes the statue on list of World Heritage sites, says the statue belongs to the U.S. government.

It was transported to the U.S. in 350 pieces in 1885 and was officially unveiled Oct. 28, 1886.

_____