The European Parliament, in displaying the work, has chosen to join the artist in his "attack" on the American president.
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A new sculpture has graced the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France. It's called "The Orange Plague" and it shows an unflattering portrayal of President Donald Trump riding astride the shoulders of a skinny, frail man. The depiction of Trump is covered with 23-carat gold leaf while the man beneath him is done in Bronze.
This statue was one the European Parliament believed should sit in their halls of power despite the United States being an ally to every single nation in the European Union and Trump being the duly elected leader of that nation. The sculpture was made by artist Jens Galschiot, stands 2.6 meters tall, and sits atop a plinth with the caption "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 European Parliament allows each Member of the European Parliament "to sponsor two cultural events or exhibitions per parliamentary term in dedicated areas," a spokesperson told CNN. Those exhibits are then approved by a body within Parliament that is tasked with doing so.
The statue, says Galschiot to The Art Newspaper, was "inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes." That fable is about a king who craves the finest clothes and is taken in by hucksters who claim they will make him a suit of the finest material that is so fine that only truly fine people can see it. The emperor pretends he can see it; so does everyone else in the kingdom. But when the emperor parades naked through town, a little boy shouts out, rightfully, that he is naked. Everyone laughs.
"Normally I attack systems, but in this case, I will attack Trump personally," the artist told The Art Newspaper, saying that part of his inspiration was Trump's interest in gold features in interior design. "Now we put the gold on him." The European Parliament, in displaying the work, has chosen to join the artist in his "attack" on the American president.
Galschiot says everyone laughed when he unveiled the sculpture, too. Many smaller versions of the statue were made to be placed on sale so everyone can have a Trump riding astride a small man for themselves. 20,000 of these miniatures were made but the artist has also provided 3D printable files as well.
The exhibit will only be up for a few days and was sponsored by Danish MP Per Claussen. The statue has previously been paraded around at protests against the American president, such as at the COP 30 in 2025 when protesters screamed about climate change. That version was not bedecked in gold. Of the new iteration, Galschiot said it is "even more ridiculous than before. Trump is shining so much that nobody can see other people."
While Galschiot believes he is insulting Trump directly, the actual insult is at the American people and the American dollars that prop up the entirety of Europe's defense systems. Galschiot, on his website, blames America for what he believes is a climate change crisis, despite BRICS nations such as China, India, and others being responsible for the bulk of carbon emissions.
"Nations as well as NGOs," he said, "are afraid to openly raise the subject [of] how to deal with Trump and his policies, fearing tariffs, fund-cuts, deportations or the like. As an independent art workshop, we are not restricted by such bonds. This sculpture has been made to address 'the elephant in the room' and start a necessary debate [about] how the US is destroying the world's only chance to counter the climate catastrophe."
Following this display, the piece will continue to be presented at climate change protests, such as the upcoming Cop31 UN Climate Conference in Antalya, Turkey.
This statue was one the European Parliament believed should sit in their halls of power despite the United States being an ally to every single nation in the European Union and Trump being the duly elected leader of that nation. The sculpture was made by artist Jens Galschiot, stands 2.6 meters tall, and sits atop a plinth with the caption "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 European Parliament allows each Member of the European Parliament "to sponsor two cultural events or exhibitions per parliamentary term in dedicated areas," a spokesperson told CNN. Those exhibits are then approved by a body within Parliament that is tasked with doing so.
The statue, says Galschiot to The Art Newspaper, was "inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes." That fable is about a king who craves the finest clothes and is taken in by hucksters who claim they will make him a suit of the finest material that is so fine that only truly fine people can see it. The emperor pretends he can see it; so does everyone else in the kingdom. But when the emperor parades naked through town, a little boy shouts out, rightfully, that he is naked. Everyone laughs.
"Normally I attack systems, but in this case, I will attack Trump personally," the artist told The Art Newspaper, saying that part of his inspiration was Trump's interest in gold features in interior design. "Now we put the gold on him." The European Parliament, in displaying the work, has chosen to join the artist in his "attack" on the American president.
Galschiot says everyone laughed when he unveiled the sculpture, too. Many smaller versions of the statue were made to be placed on sale so everyone can have a Trump riding astride a small man for themselves. 20,000 of these miniatures were made but the artist has also provided 3D printable files as well.
The exhibit will only be up for a few days and was sponsored by Danish MP Per Claussen. The statue has previously been paraded around at protests against the American president, such as at the COP 30 in 2025 when protesters screamed about climate change. That version was not bedecked in gold. Of the new iteration, Galschiot said it is "even more ridiculous than before. Trump is shining so much that nobody can see other people."
While Galschiot believes he is insulting Trump directly, the actual insult is at the American people and the American dollars that prop up the entirety of Europe's defense systems. Galschiot, on his website, blames America for what he believes is a climate change crisis, despite BRICS nations such as China, India, and others being responsible for the bulk of carbon emissions.
"Nations as well as NGOs," he said, "are afraid to openly raise the subject [of] how to deal with Trump and his policies, fearing tariffs, fund-cuts, deportations or the like. As an independent art workshop, we are not restricted by such bonds. This sculpture has been made to address 'the elephant in the room' and start a necessary debate [about] how the US is destroying the world's only chance to counter the climate catastrophe."
Following this display, the piece will continue to be presented at climate change protests, such as the upcoming Cop31 UN Climate Conference in Antalya, Turkey.
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