Trump, Gold and the ‘Orange Plague’: Satirical King unveiled at the European Parliament

A gilded, larger-than-life Donald Trump was unveiled at the European Parliament — naked, eyes closed and perched on the back of a frail man — turning a busy passageway in Strasbourg into the setting for a pointed artistic rebuke of American power, climate policy and what its creator describes as the erosion of the rule-based world order.

A gilded, larger-than-life Donald Trump was unveiled at the European Parliament — naked, eyes closed and perched on the back of a frail man — turning a busy passageway in Strasbourg into the setting for a pointed artistic rebuke of American power, climate policy and what its creator describes as the erosion of the rule-based world order. Standing 2.6 metres (8.5 feet) tall, "The Orange Plague" is the work of Danish artist Jens Galschiøt.

Cast in copper and covered in 23-carat gold leaf, the satirical sculpture depicts the US president with his thighs and sagging belly wrapped around the head of the smaller figure beneath him. In his hands, Trump holds a golf club and the scales of justice.

The sculpture's title and imagery are deliberately provocative. Galschiøt presents Trump as a self-proclaimed “King of Injustice” — a figure whose wealth, power and influence weigh heavily on the person beneath him. "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," is what the Orange Plague proclaims as per Galschiøt. The installation, which is currently on display at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, is not an official European Union statement against Trump.

Rather, it was sponsored by Danish politician Per Clausen, a member of Denmark's socialist Red-Green Alliance and the European Parliament's Left group. According to CNN, members of the European Parliament are allowed to host exhibitions on parliamentary premises, although such displays require approval and are subject to rules restricting material considered offensive, inflammatory or inconsistent with the values of the European Union.

For Galschiøt, however, the approval carries significance. “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,” he told CNN.

The sculpture draws directly on one of Denmark's most famous literary traditions: Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes. In Andersen's tale, a vain emperor is persuaded that he is wearing magnificent clothes when, in reality, he is naked.

The illusion survives because those around him are afraid to challenge it — until a child points out the obvious. Galschiøt turns that familiar story into a contemporary political allegory. Trump is presented naked but coated in gold, a visual representation of wealth and privilege rather than clothing.

The artist says the gold leaf represents a world in which wealth and power are concentrated around the ruler and his inner circle. The satire, he argues, lies precisely in the contrast: the gold does not conceal Trump's nakedness but makes it more conspicuous. The sculpture's imagery also extends beyond Trump's personality. A golf club and a world-shaped golf ball connect the president's familiar association with golf to the wider global consequences of his policies, while the scales of justice represent what Galschiøt sees as an attempt to define justice on his own terms.

For Galschiøt, the sculpture is particularly focused on Trump's approach to climate change and the global green transition. “Trump represents one of the greatest threats to the rule-based world order, democratic values and our common effort to solve the climate crisis. We must address this issue and stand together against such destructive influence," Galschiøt said.

The artist argues that Trump's return to the White House has been accompanied by efforts to roll back climate initiatives and weaken scientific and international efforts to address climate change. He also says governments and organisations can be reluctant to openly confront US policy because of the potential consequences involving trade, funding and other forms of economic or political pressure. The sculpture, in that sense, is intended as an intervention in a conversation Galschiøt believes political institutions sometimes struggle to have openly.

“This sculpture has been made to address ‘the elephant in the room’ and start a necessary debate of how the US is destroying the world's only chance to counter the climate catastrophe and a debate on how stand up against him,” the artist stated in the description of the work on his website. The Strasbourg installation is the latest stop for The Orange Plague, which has already been used at political demonstrations and international gatherings.

The sculpture was previously displayed in Belém, Brazil, during the COP30 UN climate summit in November 2025, as well as in Copenhagen during demonstrations supporting Greenland, at Germany's National Security Conference in Munich and at a US 250th anniversary-related event in Rebild, Denmark. Its next scheduled stop is Turkey, where Galschiøt plans to take the sculpture to the COP31 UN climate conference in November 2026.

The artist has also produced 3D-printed miniature versions of the sculpture, which are distributed as protest tokens or “mascots” during its appearances. The smaller figures allow the artwork to travel beyond the exhibition itself, transforming a large public sculpture into a portable political symbol.

Its presence at the European Parliament creates an additional layer to the satire. The sculpture is physically inside a major European political institution, but its presence should not be confused with an institutional endorsement of its message. The approval of an exhibition provides permission for the display; it does not mean that the European Parliament or the European Union formally adopts the artist's views, as per CNN.

For Galschiøt, nevertheless, the fact that the work was allowed inside the building is itself part of the story. The artist had expected that the provocative nature of the sculpture might prevent it from being approved. Its eventual installation therefore became, in his view, an opportunity to put a highly contentious debate about Trump's presidency, climate policy and the future of international cooperation directly in front of European lawmakers.

At its most immediate level, The Orange Plague is an intentionally uncomfortable spectacle: a naked, gold-covered Trump towering over a smaller human figure, apparently oblivious to the weight he is placing on him. But the sculpture's real target is broader than one politician.

It asks what happens when political power, economic influence and personal wealth become so imposing that institutions and individuals beneath them find it difficult to stand upright — and whether satire can succeed where diplomacy often chooses caution. In Strasbourg, the answer is now being presented in copper, gold leaf and an unmistakable orange hue. (ANI)