Could New York Lose Its Most Famous Monument?

Is New York at risk of losing its most famous monument? At this point, the rest of the world hates America. It is so bad that we could potentially lose one of our biggest tourist attractions.

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I never thought we would get to this point, but here we are. Many of our longest allies are shunning us due to the behavior of our federal government. A politician in France has demanded that the United States return the Statue of Liberty. It's arguably one of the most popular monuments in America, not just in New York. For years she represented liberty, freedom, and democracy and was a welcoming icon for immigrants. But now that many people in America have gotten behind the Trump administration's hatred of immigrants, France wants it back.

The Statue of Liberty is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, New York City. French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed the copper statue and the metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel. It was dedicated on October 28, 1886. According to Wikipedia,

With her left foot she steps on a broken chain and shackle, commemorating the national abolition of slavery following the American Civil War. After its dedication the statue became an icon of freedom and of the United States, being subsequently seen as a symbol of welcome to immigrants arriving by sea.

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Per USA Today, French member of the European Parliament Raphaël Glucksmann, makes a point about the current status of America and how hypocritical it is to what the Statue of Liberty represents,

"We're going to say to the Americans who have chosen to side with the tyrants, to the Americans who fired researchers for demanding scientific freedom: 'Give us back the Statue of Liberty. We gave it to you as a gift, but apparently you despise it. So it will be just fine here at home."

I can't be mad at him because he has a point. But the Statue isn't just a symbol of freedom - it is also a tourist attraction. Giving the statue back would hurt New York economically. Road Genius says that in recent years 3 million and 4 million people visit the statue. The amount of money tourists spend each year while visiting the Statue of Liberty is around $200 to $250 million. The National Park Service, which Trump and DOGE have gutted, is the administrator of the statue.

Unfortunately for France, the U.S. owns the Statue of Liberty, so they most likely won't be getting it back anytime soon.

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