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by Saman Shafiq
October 07, 2026
from
USAToday Website
Article also
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Saman Shafiq
is a trending news
reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com
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A gold statue of
President Donald Trump
sitting on the back
of a frail man fully naked
was unveiled in the
European Parliament building
in Strasbourg,
France.
Courtesy Jens Galschiøt / gallery_galschiot
Nude gold Trump
statue
appears in
European Parliament.
An 8-foot
gold-leaf statue
of President
Donald Trump
was unveiled at
the European Parliament
in Strasbourg,
France...
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."
Sculpture addresses
'Elephant in the Room'
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."

Danish sculptor Jens
Galschiøt
is photographed
alongside his creation
"The Orange Plague."
Courtesy Jens Galschiøt / gallery_galschiot
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.
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