White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed a French politician this week who demanded that the U.S. return the Statue of Liberty back to France, reminding him that if it was not for the United States, he would likely be speaking German right now.
Leavitt’s remarks were directed at Raphaël Glucksmann, a member of the the European Parliament and co-president of a small leftist party in France, after remarks that he made over the weekend where he accused the United States of having “chosen to switch to the side of the tyrants.”
“Give us back the Statue of Liberty,” Glucksmann demanded. “It was our gift to you. But apparently you despise her. So she will be happy here with us.”
In response to his remarks, a reporter asked Leavitt if Trump would give back the Statue of Liberty.
“Absolutely not,” Leavitt responded. “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 added.
The Statue of Liberty, standing more than 300 feet tall on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and structured by Gustave Eiffel. It was a given to the United States in Paris on July 4, 1884, the 108th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, and was a symbol of friendship between the two countries.
WATCH:
.@PressSec responds to the low-level French politician who apparently wants the Statue of Liberty back: “It’s only because of the United States of America that the French are not speaking German right now.” pic.twitter.com/4JAJKADxWE
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 17, 2025
