Oct. 7, 2026, 12:16 p.m. ET
A gold statue of President Donald Trump fully naked can now been seen in the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France.
Titled “The Orange Plague” and unveiled on Tuesday, Oct. 6, the eight-foot installation covered entirely in 23-karat gold leaf, designed by Danish sculptor Jens Galschiøt shows the president holding a golf club and a world-shaped ball in one hand and a set of scales in the other as he sits on the shoulders of a frail man.
“The sculpture is a satirical out-cry against Trump and the U.S. assault on the green transition and the rule-based world order,” the artist said.
Inscribed on the base is a proclamation, signed by the “The King of Injustice,” that reads: “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.”
“The sculpture is not directed against the European Parliament, Quite the opposite,” Galschiøt said in a statement. “It is about the attempts by the great powers to dominate, control and reshape the world according to their own interests. Trump is an extreme and very visible symbol of this development. I have made him naked and covered him in gold because sometimes satire can say things that political language cannot.”
Galschiøt, in a newsletter, said the statue is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “raises a simple question: How long will we allow ourselves to carry the powerful on our backs?”
The sculptor, on his website, said that U.S. president was chosen as the subject because of his actions “undermining the climate efforts, rolling back hard-won progress, and even destroying the scientific data that documents it.”
“Worse yet, he is using power and economic pressure to discourage other nations from pursuing green initiatives — thereby weakening the global fight against climate change,” Galschiøt said. “Nations as well as NGOs are afraid to openly raise the subject on how to deal with Trump and his policies, fearing tariffs, fund-cuts, deportations or the like.”
Galschiøt added the 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 “controversial sculpture” was unveiled as part of a three-day exhibition hosted by Danish politician MEP Per Clausen and Galschiøt said, “we are all very excited to see how the exhibition is received by the decision makers of Europe.”
The artist is also giving out miniature-sculptures for free to those who attend the exhibitions where “The Orange Plague” is presented.
“The small statues can be seen as protest symbols, or ‘mascot,'” Galschiøt said. “Something participants take with them as a provocation and a call to action to stand together against his dominance.”
Those unable to visit the exhibitions can print a 3D version of the mini-sculptures and share them and distribute to register their protest.
“The Orange Plague” has previously made several stops across Europe including Copenhagen and Rebild, Denmark and München, Germany during the National Security Conference, according to its website after making its debut in November 2025 at the COP30 UN Climate Summit in Belém, Brazil. It will make its next stop at the COP31 UN Climate Conference in November in Anatalya, Turkey.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.