Is there an international tug-of-war over the future of the Statue of Liberty? Lady Liberty was thrust into the spotlight recently when a French politician suggested that the United States was no longer worthy of the monument that was gifted from France nearly 140 years ago. Raphaël Glucksma nn, a member of the European Parliament and co-president of a small left-wing party in France, asserted in a speech over the weekend that some Americans “have chosen to switch to the side of the tyrants.” “Give us back the Statue of Liberty,” Glucksmann said, speaking Sunday to supporters of his Public Place party, who applauded and whistled. “It was our gift to you. But apparently you despise her. So she will be happy here with us,” Glucksmann said. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt fielded a question about the politician’s comments on Monday during her press briefing and offered a short message to who she called a “low-level” politician. “It’s only because of the United States of America that the French aren’t speaking German right now,” Leavitt retorted. “They should be very grateful to our great country,” she concluded. Can France claim it back? Dream on. UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural arm that has the statue on its list of World Heritage treasures, notes that the iconic monument is U.S. government property. It was initially envisaged as a monumental gesture of French-American friendship to mark the 100th anniversary of the July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence. But a war that erupted in 1870 between France and German states led by Prussia diverted the energies of the monument’s designer, French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi. The gift also took time to be funded, with a decision taken that the French would pay for the statue and Americans would cover the costs of its pedestal. Transported in 350 pieces from France, the statue was officially unveiled Oct. 28, 1886. Is France’s government offering asylum to Lady Liberty? No. French-U.S. relations would have to drop off a cliff before Glucksmann found support from French President Emmanuel Macron’s government. For the moment, the French president is treading a fine line — trying to work with Trump and temper some of his policy shifts on the one hand but also pushing back hard against some White House decisions, notably Trump’s tariff hikes. Macron has let his prime minister, François Bayrou, play the role of being a more critical voice. Bayrou tore into the “brutality” that was shown to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his White House visit and suggested that Trump’s administration risked handing victory to Russia when it paused military aid to Ukraine. Glucksmann’s party has been even more critical, posting accusations on its website that Trump is wielding power in an “authoritarian” manner and is “preparing to deliver Ukraine on a silver platter” to Russia. In his speech, Glucksmann referenced New York poet Emma Lazarus’ words about the statue, the “mighty woman with a torch” who promised a home for the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” “Today, this land is ceasing to be what it was,” Glucksmann said. ...read more read less