France Wants the Statue of Liberty Back? Here’s What Really Happened
The Statue of Liberty is one of the world’s best-known landmarks. Gifted by France to the United States in 1886, it was meant to celebrate freedom, democracy, and friendship between the two countries. Now, nearly 140 years later, the statue is suddenly back in the headlines – with France asking for it to be returned.
Well, not exactly France as a whole. Let’s break it down.
Who Made the Request
The call came from Raphaël Glucksmann, a French member of the European Parliament. He made headlines in March 2025 when he declared that the U.S. should give Lady Liberty back to France. His reasoning? In his view, America no longer lives up to the values the statue represents — liberty, justice, and the fight against oppression.
It wasn’t a quiet remark. French and international media picked it up immediately, sparking a wave of debate on both sides of the Atlantic.
The White House Responds
The reaction from Washington was swift and firm. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said there was “absolutely no” chance the U.S. would return the statue. She went further, reminding France of America’s role in liberating the country during World War II and insisting that Lady Liberty was staying put in New York Harbor.
In other words: the statue isn’t going anywhere.
Symbolic or Serious?
It’s important to be clear — this was not an official French government demand. The Élysée Palace and France’s foreign ministry have not made any such request. This was the statement of one politician, not state policy.
Most observers see Glucksmann’s words as symbolic. The Statue of Liberty has always been more than a monument. It’s a global icon of freedom, but it’s also a mirror for political debates. Over the decades, activists and leaders have used the statue to question whether the U.S. is living up to its promise.
Why It Matters
The Statue of Liberty wasn’t just a diplomatic gift, it was part of a bigger project in the 1870s and 1880s to celebrate the end of slavery in the U.S. and the shared fight for liberty after the American and French revolutions.
The French raised money through public donations, and Gustave Eiffel himself helped engineer its iron framework.
That history means the statue belongs to both countries in different ways. For Americans, it became the face of immigration, the first thing seen by ships entering New York.
For the French, it remains one of their greatest works of art, created in Paris and tied to their own revolutionary ideals.
That’s why even a symbolic demand to “bring it home” hits a deeper chord. It reopens questions about who really owns world icons – the nation that built them, or the one that turned them into global symbols.