During the afternoon of Monday, March 17, the White House spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, publicly rejected the request of a French deputy who asked Americans to “return” the Statue of Libertyone of the most iconic monuments in New York and the United States, with more than 4 million visitors a year.
“My advice to the French politician of Very low level It would be to remind him that it is only thanks to the United States of America that the French do not speak German At this time, so they should be very grateful to our great country, ”said Leavitt, referring to US help during the Second World War.
For its part, the French center of center -left of the European Parliament, Raphaël Glucksmann, criticized the current situation of the United States, stating that “this no longer represents the values” that led France to offer the statue in 1884on the occasion of the centenary of the declaration of Independence of the United States.
“The statue designed by the French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi It was delivered by France as a gift to the United States almost 141 years ago, but apparently the They despise. Americans have chosen to bow Tyrans that dismissed researchers for showing scientific freedom, ”said Glucksmann, criticizing Trump.
Statue of Liberty: one of the most famous monuments
“The Trumpists They are concerned with losing the statue of freedom, but it seems that they have lost, above all, the sense of humor. And when they get angry at things like these, we believe they have given on the nail, ”wrote the 45 -year -old French legislator in the social network X (Twitter), a firm defender of Ukraine during the war against Russia.
At present, the statue of liberty, whose real name is Freedom illuminating the worldis one of the most famous monuments in New York, in the United States and the world, mainly because it was a gift from France to the US people as a sign of “Eternal Friendship” Between both nations.
Read more: What is the Law of Foreign Enemies? The rule that Trump intends to enable migrants
Since November 1984, the Statue of Liberty is considered World Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCOfor its acronym in English), in addition to having been declared national monument of the United States since October 1965.
For New York, the statue of Liberty is one of the most important monuments in the history of the modern world, so it has become a symbol of the United States, since it represents “the freedom and the emancipation Regarding the oppression”, According to the National Parks Service in the American Nation.
Can France recover the statue of freedom?
According to what is stated by UNESCO, the iconic monument is owned by the United States government, since it was conceived as a “Monumental Friendship-American Friendship Gesture.” Therefore, relations between France and the US. “They would have to crumble“So that Raphaël Glucksmann gets your nation’s support.
French president, Emmanuel MacronHe has tried to collaborate with the Republican president in relation to his sudden policy changes. However, the European “firmly opposes” the decisions of the White House related to the increase in duty to the European Union, since this could unleash “big problems.”
🇺🇸🇫🇷 | Karoline Leavitt responds to the proposal from France to claim the statue of freedom with forcefulness: “If it were not for the US, the French would be speaking German. They should be grateful. ” pic.twitter.com/w49N07P5ed
– Uhn plus (@uhn_plus) March 17, 2025
