'Give Her Back': France Wants Lady Liberty Returned
Statue of Liberty, 2013. Photo courtesy of Ronile under CC0 1.0.
When a French politician called on the United States to return the Statue of Liberty, few expected the story to spark an international media firestorm. Yet what might have been intended as a tongue-in-cheek remark snowballed into a whirlwind of diplomatic jabs, historical throwbacks, and cultural commentary. Indeed, the Statue of Liberty is in the middle of a symbolic spat between the two countries most closely tied to it.
A Gift Meant to Celebrate Freedom
The Statue of Liberty, the 305-foot copper colossus standing in New York Harbor since 1886, wasn't always American. It was a gift from France — a gesture of solidarity and shared ideals, commemorating the centennial of the United States' independence and the abolition of slavery.
French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue. Gustave Eiffel, later known for his namesake tower in Paris, handled the internal framework. The U.S. built the pedestal. Together, the two nations erected the statue as a symbol of the global reach of the ideal of liberty.
Construction of the Statue of Liberty. Photo by unknown author. Public domain.
For nearly 140 years, Lady Liberty has stood as an international beacon of American democracy and welcome. However, not everyone thinks America is still living up to those values.
Who Wants Her Back?
Enter Raphaël Glucksmann, a French member of the European Parliament and co-president of the small left-wing party Place Publique. At a party convention in March 2025, he stirred headlines by suggesting that the United States give back the Statue of Liberty.
Glucksmann claimed that the Trump administration had turned its back on the values the statue represents and criticized America's recent mass firings of scientists, the rollback of research funding, and what he called a shift toward authoritarianism.
"Give us back the Statue of Liberty," he said in a statement recorded by the Guardian, "We're going to say to the Americans who have chosen to side with the tyrants, to the Americans who fired researchers for demanding scientific freedom: 'Give us back the Statue of Liberty.' We gave it to you as a gift."
In addition, Glucksmann even offered to absorb American researchers into France's scientific institutions, positioning his country as a new torchbearer of intellectual freedom.
Later, Glucksmann attempted to clarify that his remarks were meant to be taken symbolically, that he was engaging in a verbal protest wrapped in satire. "No one, of course, will come and steal the Statue of Liberty. The statue is yours. But what it embodies belongs to everyone," Glucksmann wrote in a post on X. He continued, "And if the free world no longer interests your government, then we will take up the torch, here in Europe," Vanity Fair reports.
Regardless of Glucksmann's intentions, the response from the American government was swift.
Flame War: The Torch Is Tossed Right Back
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wasted no time in pushing back on Glucksmann's initial comments.
"Absolutely not," she said at a press briefing reported by Fox News. "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."
Leavitt's remarks caught fire across social media and news outlets, with some viewers cheering the press secretary's patriotism and others rolling their eyes.
Could France Really Reclaim the Statue?
Short answer: No. The Statue of Liberty is U.S. government property. According to UNESCO and U.S. historical records, the statue was a gift — not a loan — and reclaiming it isn't legally possible.
Moreover, Glucksmann's comments aren't indicative of France's feelings about the U.S. overall. President Emmanuel Macron has shown no interest in making reclaiming Lady Liberty a real diplomatic issue, especially as he tries to smooth over trade and military tensions with the Trump administration while avoiding unnecessary blowups.
So, no, the Statue of Liberty isn't packing her bags for a transatlantic return. But the back-and-forth shows that sometimes, even a statue can get caught in a political storm.
References: From France comes a call for Trump's America to return Lady Liberty. Here's why it won't happen | White House press secretary says Statue of Liberty going nowhere, replies to French politician | French lawmaker says US should return Statue of Liberty. White House says 'absolutely not' | Overview + History: The Statue of Liberty | France Called. It Wants Its Statue of Liberty Back. | White House says it will not return the Statue of Liberty to France | French politician jokes US should return Statue of Liberty for siding with 'tyrants'
