A striking golden sculpture portraying US President Donald Trump in the nude has gone on display inside the European Parliament complex in Strasbourg, France, attracting attention for its provocative political symbolism.
Standing approximately 8.5 feet tall, the sculpture is titled ‘The Orange Plague’. It depicts Trump holding a golf club in one hand and the scales of justice in the other. A golf ball designed to resemble the Earth is placed alongside him, bringing together references to the US president’s well-known association with golf and wider issues involving global politics and the environment.
The work is also known as ‘King of Injustice’. Trump is shown sitting on the shoulders of a smaller, partially clothed man, giving the impression that the man is carrying him. The unusual composition is intended to convey the burden that political power can place on ordinary people.
A statement inscribed on the pedestal reinforces the message. It describes a person being weighed down by another man sitting on his back, while the person causing the burden claims he will do everything to help but refuses to get off.
The sculpture has been installed in a busy area linking two European Parliament buildings in Strasbourg. According to the information provided, it is scheduled to remain there until Thursday.
The artwork was created by Danish sculptor Jens Galschiøt, who has openly linked the piece to his concerns about the international political order, democratic values and the global response to climate change.
Galschiøt has described Trump as one of the major threats to the rules-based international order, democratic values and collective efforts to address the climate crisis. He said the issues raised by the US president’s policies should be discussed openly and that people should stand together against what he considers their destructive consequences.
The 23-carat gold-covered sculpture takes inspiration from Hans Christian Andersen’s well-known fairy tale ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’. In the story, an arrogant ruler believes he is wearing magnificent and expensive clothes, although he is actually naked. Those around him remain silent because of fear or flattery, until a child finally points out the obvious truth.
According to Galschiøt, that story provides an important reference for his work. The sculpture uses nudity not simply as a visual shock, but as a metaphor for exposing what powerful figures and those around them may prefer to conceal.
European Parliament member and Danish politician Per Clausen said he was not particularly concerned about how Trump might react to the sculpture. Referring to the US president, Clausen argued that if the artwork can be displayed and tolerated inside the European Parliament, questions about political power and leadership should also remain open to public discussion.
The display has so far drawn no public response from the White House.
The Strasbourg exhibition is not the sculpture’s first appearance on an international stage. The golden artwork was first displayed last year at the United Nations’ 30th Climate Change Conference, COP30, in Brazil. It was subsequently seen in Germany during this year’s Munich Security Conference.
By placing the sculpture inside the European Parliament complex, its creators have brought an overtly political piece of contemporary art into the heart of a major European institution. Its imagery combines references to justice, global power, climate policy and political accountability, while its deliberately provocative depiction of Trump has ensured that the work has become a subject of public debate.
