A 2.5-meter gold-leaf sculpture depicting a naked Donald Trump was recently installed at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Created by Jens Galschiot, the piece protests the U.S. president's reversal of climate policies.
The 23-karat gold leaf of 'The Orange Plague'
The artwork, which is coated in 23-karat gold leaf, serves as a satirical critique of power and injustice. According to the report, the sculpture shows Donald Trump as overweight and naked, holding a long gold club while perched on the shoulders of a smaller man. the piece is currently situated at an intersection connecting two of the European Parliament buildings in France.
The sculpture, also known as "The King of Injustice," includes a message card stating that the smaller man is sinking under the burden of the figure above him. Danish artist Jens Galschiot described the work as a satirical outcry against what he characterizes as a U.S. assault on the rule-based world order and the global green transition.
Repealing the 2009 EPA Endangerment Finding
The installation is a direct response to the climate agenda pursued by Donald Trump since returning to the White House in January 2025. As the report states, the U.S. administration has taken drastic steps to dismantle environmental protections, including the repeal of the 2009 EPA Endangerment Finding and a formal withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement.
These policy shifts, combined with the pausing of clean energy funding from the Inflation Reduction Act and a renewed push for domestic fossil fuel production, have strained relations between the United States and Brussels. the Paris Agreement, which Donald Trump has rejected, aimed to keep global temperature increases well below 2C above pre-industrial levels.
Ursula Von Der Leyen’s vow to stay the course
The political response within the European Union has been one of defiance. Ursula Von Der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, has asserted that Europe will continue its commitment to nature and climate protection regardless of U .S. policy shifts. Meanwhile, Per Clausen, a left-wing member of the European Parliament who invited Jens Galschiot to exhibit the work, argued that any leader too "thin-skinned" to tolerate such art has no place on the world stage.
This tension mirrors a broader transatlantic rift that extends beyond environmental policy.. the report notes a recent flashpoint in February, involving a heated war of words between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky during a meeting in the Oval Office.
From COP30 in Brazil to COP31 in Turkey
"The Orange Plague" is not a stationary exhibit but a traveling protest designed to follow global climate summits. The sculpture has previously appeared at the COP30 UN Climate Summit in Belem, Brazil, as well as the Munich Security Conference in Germany. It has also been displayed in Denmark at the Rebild Festival and during the Stand with Greenland demonstrations.
The artwork is scheduled to remain at the European Parliament in Strasbourg until Thursday. Following this exhibition, the piece is slated to travel to Turkey in November for the COP31 UN Climate Conference .
The White House's silence on the Strasbourg display
Despite the visibility of the statue at a major diplomatic hub, Donald Trump has not yet issued a public comment regarding the artwork. While Newsweek has reached out to the White House for a response, the administration has not provided a statement.
This leaves several questions unanswered, most notably whether the U.S. government views the sculpture as a mere artistic expression or a formal diplomatic provocation. Furthermore, it remains unclear if the European Parliament expects the display to trigger a formal complaint from Washington or if the exhibit is viewed purely as an internal exercise of free speech by the MEPs.
Comments 0