The Statue of Liberty Wants to Go Home, and So Does Europe
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By: Lisa M. Hayes
The United States has spent more than a century branding itself as the leader of the free world, but now, one of its closest allies is calling its bluff.
A high-ranking French politician has publicly called for the return of the Statue of Liberty—not as a joke, but as a statement. The message is clear: If the U.S. is no longer committed to democracy, it no longer deserves the symbol that represents it.
This isn’t just about an election cycle, a single policy decision, or the usual shifts in global alliances. This is about a fundamental collapse of the world order as we know it. And nowhere was that collapse more evident than in Donald Trump’s recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky—a meeting that sent shockwaves through European governments, forcing them to confront the reality that the U.S. may no longer be a reliable democratic ally.
Trump, Zelensky, and the European Panic Button
For two years, Ukraine has been fighting for its survival against Russian aggression. The war has become more than just a battle for territory—it is a global litmus test for the resilience of democracy itself. The West, led by the U.S., rallied behind Ukraine, providing billions in military aid and political backing, making it clear that Russia’s authoritarian expansionism would not go unchecked.
But all of that depends on the U.S. continuing to support Ukraine. And Trump has just sent the clearest signal yet that if he returns to power, that support may disappear overnight.
Trump’s relationship with Zelensky has always been transactional—infamously, it was Trump who tried to extort him for dirt on Joe Biden in exchange for military aid, leading to Trump’s first impeachment. Now, with a potential second term ahead, Trump is making it clear that he sees no strategic value in defending Ukraine from Russian aggression. That alone is enough to terrify Europe.
Because if the U.S. abandons Ukraine, it’s not just Ukraine that falls. It sets a precedent for what comes next. NATO’s easternmost members—Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland—now have to ask themselves whether they will be left to fend for themselves if Russia advances. Western European leaders are confronting the real possibility that NATO itself could fracture under Trump’s leadership. And in Moscow, Vladimir Putin is watching with glee, knowing that the greatest obstacle to his imperial ambitions might soon take itself out of the equation.
The End of the U.S. as a Democratic Leader
For nearly a century, the global order has depended on one assumption: that the United States, for all its flaws, would stand against authoritarianism. That assumption is no longer safe.
Trump’s foreign policy has never been about global stability—it’s been about personal loyalty, impulsive decisions, and transactional relationships that ignore decades of carefully built alliances. If he returns to power, the world already knows what’s coming:
- NATO will be severely weakened, if not dismantled. Trump has repeatedly threatened to pull the U.S. out of NATO, calling the alliance a “bad deal.” If the U.S. withdraws or even just stops guaranteeing military protection, Europe is on its own against Russian aggression.
- China will expand its influence. Without the U.S. as a stabilizing force, European nations will have little choice but to engage with China for economic security. Beijing, which has already deepened its relationships with Russia and authoritarian regimes around the world, will be happy to fill the power vacuum.
- Democracies worldwide will feel abandoned. Authoritarian leaders from Hungary to India will take the U.S. retreat as a green light to crack down harder on opposition, knowing that no one will intervene.
In short, the collapse of U.S. leadership won’t just be an American problem. It will be a global crisis.
France Is Calling It Like It Is
Which brings us back to France.
The call to return the Statue of Liberty isn’t a joke—it’s a symbolic declaration that the U.S. no longer represents the values it once claimed to uphold.
When France gifted Lady Liberty in 1886, it was a celebration of democracy and freedom. The statue wasn’t just a monument; it was a pledge—a recognition that the United States was leading the charge against tyranny. But if the U.S. no longer stands for those values, why should it continue to claim the statue as its own?
French officials aren’t the only ones making this calculation. Across Europe, governments are preparing for a future where the U.S. is no longer a stabilizing force in the world. They are increasing defense spending, strengthening intra-European alliances, and looking toward leaders who actually believe in democratic principles.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., democracy itself is in peril. The country that once held the Statue of Liberty as its defining emblem is now at risk of becoming the very thing the statue was meant to stand against: a nation flirting with authoritarianism, isolationism, and political chaos.
The Statue of Liberty’s One-Way Ticket Home
For Americans who still believe in democracy, this should be a wake-up call.
The world is watching. Our allies are making backup plans. France is openly questioning whether the U.S. even deserves its most famous symbol of freedom. And if Trump returns to power, the democratic world may have no choice but to move on without us.
If we abandon democracy, democracy will abandon us.
And Lady Liberty just might find a new home elsewhere.
Lisa Hayes is a life coach, writer, and editor of Confluence Daily, specializing in social issues, political issues, and mental health. Her work has appeared in publications like Huffington Post and Real Simple. She is also the Communications Director for a local fire department in Mexico and runs a life coach training program called The Coaching Guild.
