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PARIS (AP) 鈥� Hey, America: Give the Statue of Liberty back to France.

So says a French politician who is making headlines in his country for suggesting that the U.S. is no longer worthy of the monument that was a gift from France nearly 140 years ago.

As a member of the European Parliament and co-president of a small left-wing party in France, Rapha毛l Glucksmann cannot claim to speak for all of his compatriots.

But his assertion in a speech this weekend that some Americans 鈥渉ave chosen to switch to the side of the tyrants鈥� reflects the broad shockwaves that U.S. President Donald Trump’s seismic shifts in foreign and domestic policy are triggering in France and elsewhere in Europe.

鈥淕ive us back the Statue of Liberty,鈥� Glucksmann said, speaking Sunday to supporters of his Public Place party, who applauded and whistled.

鈥淚t was our gift to you. But apparently you despise her. So she will be happy here with us,鈥� Glucksmann said.

Can France claim it back?

Dream on.

UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural arm that has the statue on its list of World Heritage treasures, notes that the iconic monument is U.S. government property.

It was initially envisaged as a monumental gesture of French-American friendship to mark the 100th anniversary of the July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence.

But a war that erupted in 1870 between France and German states led by Prussia diverted the energies of the monument’s designer, French sculptor Fr茅d茅ric-Auguste Bartholdi.

The gift also took time to be funded, with that the French would pay for the statue and Americans would cover the costs of its pedestal.

Transported in 350 pieces from France, the statue was officially unveiled Oct. 28, 1886.

Is France’s government offering asylum to Lady Liberty?

No. French-U.S. relations would have to drop off a cliff before Glucksmann found support from French President Emmanuel Macron’s government.

For the moment, the French president is treading a fine line 鈥� trying to work with Trump and temper some of his policy shifts on the one hand but also pushing back hard against some White House decisions, notably Trump’s tariff hikes.

Macron has let his prime minister, Fran莽ois Bayrou, play the role of being a more critical voice. Bayrou tore into the 鈥渂rutality鈥� that was shown to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his White House visit and suggested that Trump’s administration risked handing victory to Russia when it paused military aid to Ukraine.

Glucksmann’s party has been even more critical, posting accusations on its website that Trump is wielding power in an 鈥渁uthoritarian鈥� manner and is 鈥減reparing to deliver Ukraine on a silver platter鈥� to Russia.

In his speech, Glucksmann referenced New York poet Emma Lazarus’ words about the statue, the 鈥渕ighty woman with a torch鈥� who promised a home for the 鈥渉uddled masses yearning to breathe free.鈥�

鈥淭oday, this land is ceasing to be what it was,鈥� Glucksmann said.