Send the Statue of Liberty Back? Leavitt: 'Absolutely Not.' Thanks to the U.S., 'the French Are Not Speaking German Right Now' (March 17, 2025)

A French politician wanted the Statue of Liberty back, and the White House had an answer. “There is now a member of the European Parliament from France who does not think the US represents the values of the Statue of Liberty anymore. They want the Statue of Liberty back. So is President Trump going to send the Statue of Liberty back to France?” a reporter asked Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at the briefing on March 17, 2025, according to the transcript published by the American Presidency Project [1].

“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 [1].

The video above shows the March 17, 2025, briefing. Quotes are from the American Presidency Project and the Supreme Court [1][2][3].

”A New Sheriff in Town”

Leavitt began with the deadly tornadoes in the South and Midwest, then turned to the president’s weekend strikes on the Houthis in Yemen. “Joe Biden’s pathetic weakness invited these unacceptable attacks, but there’s a new sheriff in town, and his name is Donald Trump and the world is officially on notice,” she said [1].

“Houthi terrorists and their Iranian backers should not cross President Trump again, and the president has made that clear today,” Leavitt said [1].

”Heinous Monsters”

She turned to Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act against the Tren de Aragua gang. “At the president’s direction, the Department of Homeland Security carried out a counterterrorism operation deporting nearly 200 violent Tren de Aragua terrorists, which will save countless American lives,” Leavitt said [1].

“President Trump promised Laken and Jocelyn’s families during his campaign that he would demand justice for their beautiful girls, and that’s exactly what he did,” she said, referring to Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray [1].

“These are heinous monsters, rapists, murderers, kidnappers, sexual assaulters, predators who have no right to be in this country and they must be held accountable,” Leavitt said [1].

Asked whether the administration would give a federal judge the timing of the deportation flights, she answered: “All of the planes that were subject to the written order, the judge’s written order, took off before the order was entered in the courtroom on Saturday.” [1]

“We Just Needed President Trump”

Leavitt quoted the New York Times on the border. “Here’s how The Times summed it up. Illegal crossings at the US-Mexico border are down to their lowest level in decades. Once crowded migrant shelters are empty,” she said. “This is the Trump effect in action. And again, those are the words from the New York Times. We didn’t need a border security bill. We just needed President Trump,” she said [1].

”Did the President Even Know About These Pardons?”

A reporter asked about Trump’s post that Biden’s preemptive pardons for members of the Jan. 6 committee were void because they were signed by autopen. “But the president was raising the point that did the president even know about these pardons? Was his legal signature used without his consent or knowledge?” Leavitt said [1].

“And so I think it’s a question that everybody in this room should be looking into. Because certainly, that would propose perhaps criminal or illegal behavior if staff members were signing the president of the United States autograph without his consent,” she said [1].

“Is there evidence on that, that he wasn’t aware of it?” the reporter asked. “You’re a reporter. You should find out,” Leavitt said [1].

”A Dozen Eggs Are Now $3.10 Cheaper”

On the economy, she pointed to Trump’s first term. “Wall Street and Main Street should both be assured by what President Trump did in his first term. It’s the exact same formula. In fact, I would argue it’s even better this time around,” Leavitt said [1].

“The national average of the price of gas is down $0.42 from one year ago. And there was also a new report out this morning about wholesale egg prices. They continue to fall,” she said. “A dozen eggs are now $3.10 cheaper since January 24th — 1st. So, that’s a 47 percent decrease overall.” [1]

“The 10th Yard Line of Peace”

On Russia and Ukraine, Leavitt said Trump would speak with Vladimir Putin the next day. “I won’t get ahead of those negotiations, but I can say we are on the 10th yard line of peace. And we’ve never been closer to a peace deal than we are in this moment,” she said [1].

By the Numbers

Nearly 200: Tren de Aragua members deported, per Leavitt [1].
About $6 million: paid to El Salvador to detain them, per Leavitt [1].
42 cents: the drop in the national average price of gas from a year earlier, per Leavitt [1].
47 percent: the drop in wholesale egg prices, per Leavitt [1].

What Happened Next

The Supreme Court vacated the judge’s orders. On April 7, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled on the administration’s appeal in the Alien Enemies Act case. “We grant the application and vacate the TROs,” the Court’s opinion said [2].

Trump ordered an investigation of the autopen. On June 4, 2025, Trump signed a memorandum to the attorney general and the White House counsel. “In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that former President Biden’s aides abused the power of Presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden’s cognitive decline and assert Article II authority,” it said [3].

“This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history,” the memorandum said [3].

For Trump’s summit with Putin five months later, see HYGO News’ page on Aug. 15, 2025. For Trump’s address to Congress two weeks before this briefing, see the page on March 4, 2025.