Heated diplomatic row erupted when French politician Raphael Glucksmann proposed that France should retake the Statue of Liberty. His comments have scorned the US accusing it of no longer practicing the values of freedom and democracy that inspired the donation.
Give us the Statue of Liberty back in our hands, Glucksmann gladly declared, overtly accusing the US government of a dirty deal through which it would end up with backing the authoritarian regimes and brusquely trampling the freedom of science. His comments were seen as a clear rejection of the policies of former President Donald Trump regarding diplomacy and research liberties
The White House immediately shot down the idea with a piquant response from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “Absolutely not. And to that un-named French politician that I named never mind, my advice would be, tell them that it’s only because of America that the French are not talking German today,” she said. 
The Statue of Liberty was donated to the US by the French people in 1886 to honour the 100th year of American independence. A monument conceived by French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, it represents the shared commitment of the nations to liberty.
Glucksmann’s remarks have sparked differing opinions with some interpreting them as a symbolic slap in the face to Trump’s heritage while others regarded them as an unrealistic political gamble. Despite the rhetoric, there are no hints that France would ask officially for the statue to be returned.
The statue still stands as a symbol of freedom in New York Harbor—towering over the newest diplomatic tempest.
