Critics have slammed White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s response to a French lawmaker’s call for the Statue of Liberty to be returned to France.
Leavitt’s remark was “insulting,” “shocking” and “f**king disgusting,” said commenters on social media.
European Parliament member Raphael Glucksmann said Sunday that America under President Donald Trump no longer represents the values of freedom and democracy that have become synonymous with the statue. Glucksmann suggested the landmark, which France gave to America to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence, should come home.
Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked Leavitt during Monday’s White House press briefing if Trump would agree to that.
“Absolutely not,” Leavitt replied.
“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,” she continued.
Leavitt concluded: “So, they should be very grateful to our great country.”
The comment prompted a history lesson on social media, given France’s assistance in the American Revolution, and other countries’ roles alongside America in World War II.
Michael McFaul, the Obama-era U.S. ambassador to Russia and current professor of political science at Stanford University, described it as “such a shocking, insulting statement about an ally from anyone, let alone a senior White House official.”
“Who told her to say this? She obviously got in from somewhere,” he added. “Im hope our @PressSec knows that it’s only because of the French that we have an independent United States of America.”
Others made similar scathing points.
