Gold-coloured satirical statue of naked Trump goes on display at European Parliament

A gold-coloured statue of US President Donald Trump, shown naked, is on display inside the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France. The satirical work is by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt. It is titled "Orange Plague" and is also known as "King of Injustice".

The sculpture shows Trump sitting naked on the shoulders or back of a much smaller man. He holds a long golf club.

According to the South China Morning Post, the statue was unveiled on Tuesday, when an orange cloth covering it was removed. The newspaper reported that it stands at one of the parliament's busiest intersections, which connects two buildings. It is scheduled to stay on display through Thursday.

According to Euronews, the figure also holds a set of scales. A plaque beneath it carries this text:

I am sitting on the back of a man. He is sinking under my burden I will do anything to help him. Except stepping down from his back. - The King of Injustice.

Euronews reported that left-wing Danish Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Per Clausen invited the artist. It also reported that the statue was shown at "hands off Greenland" demonstrations in Copenhagen earlier this year. It was also shown at the COP30 UN Climate Summit in Belém, Brazil, last year. According to Euronews, Galschiøt plans to exhibit it at the COP31 UN Climate Conference in Antalya, Türkiye, next month. Euronews also reported that visitors receive a 3D-printed miniature of the sculpture.

What is disputed

The reports differ on the statue's height. The South China Morning Post puts it at around 2.5 metres including its pedestal. Euronews gives 2.6 metres. It does not say whether that figure includes the pedestal.

What each side says

Galschiøt says the statue is coated with 23-carat gold. According to Euronews, he says the work was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's "The Emperor's New Clothes". He calls it a "satirical outcry" against Trump's climate and foreign policies, which Euronews described as "volatile". He also says he printed around 20,000 miniatures for visitors and staff. The reports do not independently verify the gold coating or the number of miniatures.

On his website, according to Euronews, Galschiøt wrote that nations and NGOs are afraid to raise the subject, "fearing tariffs, fund-cuts, deportations or the like". He added: "This sculpture has been made to address ‘the elephant in the room’ and start a necessary debate [about] how the US is destroying the world’s only chance to counter the climate catastrophe."

Clausen says he is not worried about a potential reaction from Trump. Euronews quoted him as saying: "If someone is so thin-skinned that they cannot tolerate this sculpture being exhibited in the European Parliament, then they have no place on the world stage".

Euronews reported that, as of its publication, there had been no reaction from Trump. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include any response from the White House or the US government. They also do not describe the European Parliament's official position on the exhibition, or how it was authorised.

Analysis

The display places a politically charged artwork inside an EU institution at a time when, according to the artist, transatlantic tensions over climate and foreign policy are high. Its significance may depend on responses that the reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include. These include any reaction from Washington, the European Parliament's own position, and views from other MEPs and political groups. Supporters may frame the exhibition as protected artistic expression. Critics may question whether a parliament building is a suitable venue. If the statue appears at COP31 as planned, it could bring similar debates into a climate forum. The display is reported to run only until Thursday.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.