Europeupdated 1h ago2 min read
Jens Galschiøt’s “Orange Plague” Naked Trump Statue Opens at European Parliament in Strasbourg
A 2.6-meter gilded statue of naked Trump was installed inside Strasbourg's European Parliament. Trump sits on the shoulders of a frail man, holding scales of justice and a golf club.
Strasbourg Unveiling
A gold and bronze statue depicting Donald Trump naked was inaugurated at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, and the work was titled “The Orange Plague.”
Jens Galschiøt’s statue showed Trump seated on the back of a fragile man, with Trump holding the scales of justice in one hand and a golf club in the other.
The statue was described as 2.6 meters tall and was set to remain on display for a few days at the seat of the European Parliament while Members of the European Parliament celebrated a plenary session.
Per Clausen, a Danish Member of the European Parliament, was identified as the person who proposed the exhibition and authorized it under Parliament’s administrative rules.
The statue’s base carried the inscription “I am sitting on the back of a man. He sinks under my weight. I will do anything I can to help him, except go down,” according to the description of the work.
Fico Demands Removal
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called for the immediate removal of the satirical statue of Donald Trump exhibited this week at the European Parliament headquarters in Strasbourg, France. Fico wrote that the display of the “mocking” piece of the President of the United States is an insult to the White House chief and a signal of the decline of the entire EU. The European Parliament press service said that cultural events and exhibitions by Members must be authorized in advance by the quaestors, who verify compliance with rules including a prohibition on offensive or incendiary content.
Per Clausen defended the installation by saying, “If someone is so thin-skinned that they cannot tolerate this sculpture … then they have no place on the world stage,” and he framed the issue as one of fear and self-censorship. A European Parliament spokesperson said the statue was removed on Wednesday, after the calls for removal were made on Thursday.
Miniatures and COP31
Jens Galschiøt said the work was plated in 23-karat gold and that all visitors receive a 3D-printed miniature of the sculpture to take home. Galschiøt explained that he produced around 20,000 sculptures and distributed them not only among visitors but also among staff of the entire European Parliament. The statue had previously been exhibited at the UN COP30 climate summit in Belém, Brazil, and it was also shown at the “hands off Greenland” demonstrations held in Copenhagen earlier this year.
Galschiøt planned to exhibit “The Orange Plague” again next month at the UN Climate Conference COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye. The European Parliament installation was described as part of a two-day exhibition led by Per Clausen, and the sculpture was set to continue its journey to COP31 after its Strasbourg display.