The Trump administration’s divisive policies, both domestic and foreign, have strained Western alliances, particularly as Washington and Moscow pursue an unexpected rapprochement to end the war in Ukraine.
The latest is evident in the remark by French lawmaker Raphael Glucksmann, a member of the European Parliament, who has asked for the US to return the Statue of Liberty.
Glucksmann suggested that the monument be given back to Paris because Washington has “chosen to switch to the side of the tyrants.”
The monument, a gift from France in the late 19th century, was meant to celebrate freedom and democracy.
The French politician’s remarks of frustration stem from the Trump administration’s policies, especially its rapprochement with Russian President Putin, which has strained transatlantic relations.
As Washington and Moscow move closer—ostensibly to broker an end to the war in Ukraine—Europeans like Glucksmann view the shift as a betrayal of democratic values.
His call to reclaim the statue did not go unnoticed in Washington.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the idea in combative wording.
“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,” she said at a press conference, referring to America’s role in liberating France during the Second World War.
In recent days, top American officials like Leavitt have insisted that Washington’s allies need to show their gratitude publicly to the US.
During a heated exchange at the White House, Vice President J.D. Vance rebuked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, telling him to be “thankful” for American support in Kiev’s war with Russia.
Glucksmann, for his part, is undeterred.
“No one, of course, will come and steal the Statue of Liberty. The statue is yours. But what it embodies belongs to everyone,” he said. “And if the free world no longer interests your government, then we will take up the torch, here in Europe.”
The Statue of Liberty has become a flashpoint in the US immigration debate after immigration chief Ken Cuccinelli reinterpreted the iconic inscription, an Emma Lazarus poem, on the monument on Tuesday.
He said that the poem by Lazarus referred to “people coming from Europe” and that America is looking to receive migrants “who can stand on their own two feet.”
According to UNESCO, the UN’s cultural arm, the Statue of Liberty, which is on its list of World Heritage treasures, is now a US property.
But what is the story of the Statue of Liberty?
Gift with a purpose
The statue’s origins, as Glucksmann might remind Washington, are firmly rooted in French soil.
The monument was conceived by Edouard de Laboulaye, a historian and abolitionist who admired the US Constitution and celebrated the Union’s victory in the North over the pro-slave Confederacy in the South in 1865.
That same year, he proposed creating a monument to liberty, symbolising friendship and enduring ties between France and the United States. France had backed underdog American colonists against British rule during the Independence War (1775 -1783).
Laboulaye discussed this idea with Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculptor, who took up the project, envisioning a colossal figure to be completed in time for the centennial of American independence in 1876.
But financial and political obstacles delayed progress—most notably the Franco-Prussian War, which diverted resources and attention.
However, a determined Laboulaye, who wasn’t a fan of the autocratic rule of Napoleon III at home, remained undeterred.
By 1875, he had developed a fundraising plan: the French would finance the statue, while the Americans would build its pedestal. In the end, much of the funding came not from governments but from ordinary French citizens.
Although implementing the plan was not an easy task, both sides did their part through a decade-long effort. In 1884, the French finished their work of building the statue thanks to fundraising and hard work of their sculptors.
“The massive sculpture stood tall above the rooftops of Paris awaiting her voyage across the sea,” says the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation’s official website.
During the construction process, Bartholdi also commissioned Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, another French art force, who would go create his famous Tower in Paris later. Eiffel worked “to address structural issues associated with designing such a colossal copper sculpture”, according to the website.
When the French side finished their work, the Americans had selected Richard Morris Hunt, an American architect, to design the Statue’s granite pedestal. It would take two years before the statue could be officially unveiled.
The Statue, which was divided into 350 individual pieces, being packed in 214 crates, arrived in New York Harbor in 1885.
Even the statue’s location owes something to France.
Bartholdi had insisted that it be placed on Bedloe’s Island (later renamed Liberty Island), ensuring that it would be the first sight to greet ships entering New York Harbor.
Bartholdi envisioned the Statue of Liberty as a modern Colossus of Rhodes, guiding arriving ships with its symbolic light. Like the ancient Greek statue of Helios, it would stand at a harbour entrance, welcoming travellers to a new land.
Finally, October 28, 1886, US President Grover Cleveland presided over the dedication ceremony before a crowd of thousands of spectators.
The statue and Lazarus’ 1883 poem, cast in bronze, in 1903 have served as a beacon to millions of immigrants as they first entered the nation in New York Harbour.
Its words have symbolised hope which read: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.”
