A gold statue depicting Donald Trump fully naked and perched on the shoulders of a much smaller man has been unveiled in the European Parliament building in Strasbourg.
The eight-foot installation, titled The Orange Plague, is designed by Danish sculptor Jens Galschiøt and covered entirely in 23-karat gold leaf.
Trump is shown holding a golf club and a world-shaped ball in one hand and a set of scales in the other.
Inscribed on the base is a satirical pledge attributed to “The King of Injustice”. It 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.”
Galschiøt, who is known for his politically charged sculptures, has framed the installation as a “satirical outcry” against the volatility of America’s green and foreign policy.
“Trump represents one of the greatest threats to the rule-based world order, democratic values, and our common effort to solving the climate crisis,” he said in a statement.
“We must address this issue and stand together against such destructive influence.”
The sculpture reimagines the artist’s earlier work Survival of the Fattest that shows a starved boy carrying an overweight woman as a visual metaphor for global inequality.
Danish MEP Per Clausen commended the unveiling of the new statue, saying: “If someone is so thin-skinned that they cannot tolerate this sculpture being exhibited in the European Parliament, then they have no place on the world stage.”
But this is not the first nude effigie of Trump.
Ahead of the 2024 US presidential elections, a 43-foot tall sculpture of the Republican leader went on tour across different swing states including Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin and Michigan.
Similarly, in the run-up to the 2016 elections, five life-size depictions of Trump were erected around the country, with accompanying plaques reading, “The Emperor Has No Balls.”
The latest portrayal of the American president is scheduled to remain in Strasbourg through to Thursday. It is expected to be seen again in November at the UN COP31 Climate Conference in Turkey, where Galschiøt will distribute 3D-printed miniature replicas to delegates.
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