STRASBOURG, France — The bustling corridors of the European Parliament are typically reserved for high-stakes diplomacy, legislative debates, and quiet political maneuvering. This week, however, lawmakers navigating the busy thoroughfares of the parliament’s official seat in Strasbourg are being forced to confront a rather grotesque, gilded vision of American power.
Towering over passersby is an 8.5-foot-tall statue of former U.S. President Donald Trump. Stripped of his trademark suits and depicted entirely naked—save for a gleaming, thin layer of 23-karat gold leaf—the installation has immediately become the center of political and artistic attention across the continent.
‘The King of Injustice’ and the Weight of Power
The massive copper sculpture, officially titled “The Orange Plague” but widely dubbed the “King of Injustice,” does not hold back in its brutal artistic commentary. It imagines the American political heavyweight perched aggressively on the shoulders of a frail, emaciated man. Trump’s heavy thighs and sagging belly wrap suffocatingly around the smaller figure’s head, while Trump’s hands tightly clutch a long golf club and the traditional scales of justice.
A stark, chilling message is inscribed on the statue’s plinth, told from the perspective of the golden figure: “I am sitting on the back of a man. He is sinking under my burden. I will do anything to help him. Except step down from his back.”
Danish artist Jens Galschiøt, the mind behind the provocative sculpture, noted the dark irony of the piece shortly after it was unveiled on Tuesday. “Trump likes gold,” Galschiøt remarked over a phone interview. “In a way, I think he would like this sculpture.”
Explaining his bold decision to depict the famously image-conscious politician in the nude, Galschiøt drew a direct line to Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fable, The Emperor’s New Clothes—a story about a vain, arrogant ruler who blindly parades through his city without garments because he refuses to hear the truth.
“Dictators don’t like you laughing at them,” the artist explained. For Galschiøt, the statue is more than just a caricature; it is a physical manifestation of what he perceives as severe threats to the global environment and the rules-based international order. “Trump is destroying all the things I believe in,” he added.
A Calculated Political Statement from the Left
While the statue sits prominently on European Union grounds, it is not an official rebuke from the institution itself. Instead, the exhibition was sponsored by Per Clausen, a Danish politician and member of the socialist Red-Green Alliance party. Elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2024, Clausen represents The Left, a minority left-wing group that holds roughly 6% of the seats in the parliament.
Speaking from Strasbourg, Clausen made his political motivations clear. “I think we need to have a discussion about power in the world and how this power is used,” he said. “The way Trump acts is a very, very big problem for people in Europe. I want to raise the discussion in Europe about how we can make our self-defense against Trump, and how can we make politics that is not dependent on him.”
Gaining access to the parliament’s halls was no small feat. Under strict institutional rules, MEPs are entitled to sponsor two cultural events or exhibitions per parliamentary term in dedicated areas. However, these exhibitions must pass a rigorous vetting process by the parliament’s quaestors—a cross-party administrative group. Parliamentary guidelines strictly prohibit displays deemed offensive, inflammatory, or contradictory to the foundational values of the Union.
The fact that “The Orange Plague” passed this assessment is significant. While a spokesperson for the European Parliament’s press service clarified via email that permission does not equate to an official endorsement, Galschiøt views the green light as a powerful, tacit nod of approval from Europe’s political elite.
“I think a lot of American people say, ‘OK, this is our president, but he’s also ridiculous in a way.’ And I think most Europeans see him like that, too,” the artist noted.
Protest Tokens and a History of Defiance
Expected to remain on display until Thursday, the exhibition is highly interactive. Accompanying the towering golden figure are over 1,000 3D-printed miniature versions of the sculpture. These tiny replicas are being freely handed out to amused politicians, journalists, and passersby to serve as “protest tokens.” According to Clausen, aside from expected backlash from “some people from the extreme right wing,” the overall response inside the parliament has been overwhelmingly positive.
Galschiøt is no stranger to using art as a political weapon. He is perhaps best known for his “Pillar of Shame,” a haunting memorial dedicated to the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, which was controversially dismantled and removed from a Hong Kong university campus in 2021.
Earlier in 2024, another Danish MEP, Kira Marie Peter-Hansen, sponsored a model of the “Pillar of Shame” to be exhibited in front of the European Parliament in Brussels as part of a “forbidden art” showcase aimed at mainland China’s heavy censorship. Drawing parallels between his most famous work and his latest golden critique, Galschiøt summarized his artistic philosophy: “This is about the powerful and the powerless, and in a way, the ‘Pillar of Shame’ is also that.”
“The Orange Plague” is rapidly becoming a fixture on the global stage. Before landing in Strasbourg, the statue was exhibited at the Munich Security Conference and the COP30 UN climate conference in Brazil last November. Galschiøt has already confirmed plans to haul the 8.5-foot statement piece to COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, next month.
As the golden figure continues its tour of global political hubs, Donald Trump himself has yet to issue a comment on the artwork.
