A provocative golden statue depicting a nude President Trump was briefly displayed inside the European Parliament this week, triggering a sharp rebuke from Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and highlighting tensions over political expression within the EU's halls of power.
The sculpture, titled “The Orange Plague,” was installed on Tuesday in the parliament's Strasbourg building as part of a two-day exhibition organized by Danish left-wing MEP Per Clausen. Created by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt, the 23-karat gold-leafed figure shows Trump sitting on the shoulders of a bronze-colored, frail man, with his legs draped around the man's neck. The accompanying text 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.”
Fico, who has often clashed with EU leadership, took to X on Thursday to call for the statue's removal, even though it had already been taken down the day before. He described the artwork as “a sign of the decline of the entire EU” and urged European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to act.
“I do not agree with all of the American president's policies, not by a long shot. But at a time that calls for dialogue and mutual respect, insulting our partners on official premises demonstrates a profound failure to understand the times we live in,” Fico wrote, adding that the EU “can no longer distinguish between the legitimate right to hold a different opinion and the actions of spiritually bankrupt individuals, adventurers and lunatics.”
Galschiøt, known for politically charged art, promoted the installation on his own X account, announcing that he would distribute 10,000 miniature versions to visitors. He described the piece as “a satirical outcry against Trump and the U.S. assault on the green transition and the rule-based world order.” In a statement on his website, he said the work was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's “The Emperor's New Clothes,” depicting Trump as a “self-proclaimed King of Justice” holding a golf club and scales, symbolizing his power to define justice.
The European Parliament's press service confirmed to The Hill that the statue was removed on Wednesday. The institution's rules require MEPs to obtain prior approval from quaestors for any installations, and exhibitions “shall under no circumstances be offensive or of an inflammatory nature or contradictory to the values on which the Union is founded.”
Clausen defended the exhibition, saying that no one should “accept living in fear and self-censorship” and that those “so thin-skinned that you cannot handle this sculpture being exhibited in the European Parliament, then you do not belong on the world stage.” The episode comes as Trump's relationship with global leaders remains a flashpoint, and it echoes broader debates about Trump's foreign policy posture and his administration's approach to international institutions.
The brief appearance of the statue underscores the delicate balance European lawmakers must strike between free expression and diplomatic decorum. While some MEPs saw the piece as a legitimate form of political satire, others viewed it as an unnecessary provocation that could undermine EU-U.S. relations at a time of geopolitical strain. The controversy also highlights the ongoing friction between certain EU member states and the bloc's leadership over how to engage with the Trump administration.
