The United States has firmly rejected a call by French politician Raphael Glucksmann to return the Statue of Liberty to France, dismissing his remarks as politically motivated and unnecessary.

Glucksmann, a centre-left politician, recently suggested that France should take back the iconic statue, arguing that the US no longer represents the values that inspired France to gift the monument. His remarks were seen as a direct critique of US President Donald Trump’s policies, particularly concerning scientific freedom and international relations.

“Give us back the Statue of Liberty… We’re going to tell the Americans, who have chosen to side with the tyrants and fired researchers for demanding scientific freedom — ‘Give us back the Statue of Liberty,'” Glucksmann said.

“We gave it to you as a gift, but apparently, you despise it. So it will be just fine here at home.”

The statement drew a sharp response from the White House. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected the demand outright and mocked Glucksmann’s political significance.

“Absolutely not. 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. So they should be very grateful to our great country,” Leavitt said.

The Statue of Liberty was presented in New York Harbor on October 28, 1886, to mark the 100th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. Created by French artist Auguste Bartholdi, it was a gift from the people of France to the United States, symbolizing shared values of freedom and democracy.

While Paris has a smaller replica of the statue on an island in the Seine, Glucksmann’s remarks were largely viewed as a symbolic political statement rather than a serious demand for the statue’s return.

A vocal critic of Trump, Glucksmann has also opposed the US President’s foreign policy approach, particularly regarding the war in Ukraine. He has further condemned far-right leaders in France, accusing them of being a “fan club” for Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.