The White House rejects the idea of the US returning the Statue of Liberty

The White House rejected the call to return the Statue of Liberty, arguing that France “would have spoken German” if it had not received U.S. support during World War II.

“Definitely not,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on March 17 when asked about the possibility of the U.S. returning the Statue of Liberty to France.

Leavitt made the comments after Raphael Glucksmann, a French MP for the European Parliament, said on March 16 that France should take back the Statue of Liberty because the United States no longer represents the values that Paris gave as a gift to Washington. He accused the U.S. of “seemingly belittling the statue.”

“My advice to the anonymous, low-ranking French politician is to remember that thanks to the United States, the French don’t now have to speak German. Therefore, they should be very grateful to our great country,” Ms. Leavitt continued.

The New York Post described some reporters as astonished when the White House press secretary referred to World War II, when France was occupied by Nazi Germany.

French officials have not commented on the information.

The Statue of Liberty was inaugurated on October 28, 1886 in the harbor of New York City, as a gift from the French people to the United States. The statue is 46 meters high, the head of the crown has 7 spikes, symbolizing the halo of the sun illuminating the world, holding a stone slab engraved with American independence day in Roman numerals, and a broken chain located on the left leg, signifying the abolition of slavery in the United States.

According to Politico, France cannot arbitrarily take back the Statue of Liberty because it is the property of the US government. Such a move will increase tensions in bilateral relations.