A 2.5-meter-tall gold-coated statue depicting Donald Trump naked and seated on another figure’s shoulders was unveiled Tuesday in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. The sculpture, titled ‘Orange Plague’, was installed by Danish artist Jens Galschiot and will remain on display through Thursday.
The statue depicts Trump holding a long gold club and is positioned at an intersection connecting two buildings of the European Parliament. A description card beneath the sculpture reads: ‘I am sitting on the back of a man. He is sinking under my burden. I would do anything to help him. Except stepping down from his back — The King of Injustice.’
The artwork has previously been displayed in Belem, Brazil, at the COP30 UN Climate Conference in 2025, and is scheduled to appear at the COP31 UN Climate Conference in Turkey in November 2025.
Galschiot stated the sculpture is a satirical response to Trump’s approach to climate change, calling it a critique of the ‘US assault on the green transition and the rule-based world order.’ The artist coated the statue in 23-karat gold leaf for the installation.
Members of the European Parliament have responded to the display. Left-wing MEP Per Clausen, who invited the artist, told Deutsche Welle that the sculpture reflects ‘freedom of expression’ and that anyone offended by it ‘has no place on the world stage.’ No official comment from Trump or the US government has been reported regarding the statue.
The installation coincides with ongoing debates in the European Parliament about climate policy and international cooperation, though the statue’s placement is not tied to any scheduled legislative session. The European Parliament has not issued a formal statement on the artwork’s presence.