The Symbol of America

After three years of construction, the new Statue of Liberty Museum will have a May 16 grand opening, and the invited guests include a bevy of Democratic elected officials.
And President Trump.
The mere possibility of his holding forth next to Lady Liberty has created a buzz in political circles and among immigration advocates.
The president has not confirmed attendance, and neither have the other prominent invited elected officials, said Suzanne Mannion, a spokeswoman for the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, which built the museum and is managing the grand opening.




[Everone’s welcome at the Statue of Liberty. Except tour guides.]

But with Mr. Trump on a guest list that includes the likes of Governor Cuomo, Gov. Philip Murphy of New Jersey, Senator Chuck Schumer, Representative Jerrold Nadler and Mayor de Blasio, it might make for one awkward ribbon-cutting.


Some anti-Trump Democrats say the president should be excluded on the ground that his tough immigration stance mocks the statue’s welcoming spirit, epitomized by the famous lines on its bronze plaque from the Emma Lazarus poem: “Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
“President Trump’s anti-immigrant rants and policies are diametrically opposed to everything the Statue of Liberty stands for,” said Dani Lever, a spokeswoman for Mr. Cuomo. “His attendance would be truly ironic, and the mere symbolism of it should be offensive to all Americans whose ancestors were guided into this country by her torch.”