«It’s only because of the US that the French are not speaking German», according to Karoline Leavitt
Karoline Leavitt, press secretary of the White House, stated that the United States has "absolutely not" the intention of returning the Statue of Liberty to France. This is of course a response from the White House to the French MEP demanding the return of the Statue of Liberty to French soil on the heels of recent geopolitical developments.
A response to Raphaël Glucksmann's speech
This statement follows the speech of eu parliament member Raphaël Glucksmann during the congress of his political party, Place publique, on March 16. «Give us back the Statue of Liberty», he had said.
A reference to US aid in the liberation of France under German occupation
«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», Leavitt said during her press briefing.
A recognition towards the United States
«So they should be very grateful to our great country», Leavitt added.
A commemoration of the alliance between France and the United States
The Statue of Liberty, erected on Liberty Island in New York, was offered by the French to the Americans to highlight the friendship of the two nations as well as their alliance during the War of Independence.
A symbol unveiled for the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence
This symbol of the United States, created by French sculptor and architect Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, was unveiled on October 28, 1886, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence.
A gratitude
Raphaël Glucksmann responded on X to the words of the spokesperson of the administration of the American president Donald Trump: «I would simply not be there if hundreds of thousands of young Americans had not landed on our beaches in Normandy (...)», he first emphasized.
“America of these heroes fought against tyrants.”
«But the America of these heroes fought against tyrants, it did not flatter them. It was the enemy of fascism, not the friend of Putin. It helped the resistance and did not attack [Ukrainian president Volodymyr] Zelensky», he continued.
Celebrate science and welcome the persecuted
«It celebrated science and did not fire researchers for using forbidden words. It welcomed the persecuted and did not target them.»
“The betrayal of Ukraine and Europe”
According to him, the United States are worth more than «the betrayal of Ukraine and Europe, xenophobia or obscurantism.»
The free world
As in his party's gathering, Glucksmann restated in his post on X, that Europe would take the torch if the «free world is no longer of interest [for the Trump administration]».
"We are counting on you"
"We, in Europe, love this nation to which we know we owe so much. It will be reborn. You will be reborn. We are counting on you," he concluded.