New York landmark: Trump spokeswoman: Statue of Liberty remains in the USA

The White House has rejected the demands of a French politician to return the New York Statue of Freedom to France. “Under no circumstances,” said the spokeswoman for US President Donald Trump on the somewhat pointed question of a journalist whether the Republican is planning to send the landmark back to France.

Leavitt added that her advice to the “insignificant French politician” was grateful. “The French do not speak German only thanks to the United States.” Therefore, you should be very grateful “our great country”, says Leavitt. She did not explain exactly what she meant by that. However, the statement is likely to allude to the role of the United States in World War II. Germany had occupied France at the time. The United States, Great Britain and other Allies contributed decisively to the liberation of France.

Freedom statue a gift of France

French MEP Raphaël Glucksmann had said at a party congress of his center-left party Place Publique with a view to Trump’s policy that the United States would no longer represent the values ​​that France would have moved to give them the statue. Therefore, the USA should return the gift. Glucksmann does not speak for the French government – however, his statements received a lot of attention, also in the USA.

The Statue of Liberty is visible on an island in the New York harbor basin. It is the symbol of the city of the million and welcomes immigrants and visitors from all over the world. France gave the USA the statue in 1876 on the 100th anniversary of independence from Great Britain. It was inaugurated in 1886.