Trump Statue Unveiled At EU Parliament

What happened

A roughly 8.5-foot statue titled “The Orange Plague” went on display inside a European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France. Artist Jens Galschiøt says the sculpture criticizes Trump’s impact on climate action, democratic values and the rules-based world order. He said it was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Danish MEP Per Clausen invited Galschiøt to exhibit it and said thin-skinned leaders did not belong on the world stage. The Swedish Democrats’ European Parliament group called the display virtue signaling and wasteful; Galschiøt challenged that logic. The display ends Thursday, with COP31 in Turkey expected next.

How each side covered it

From the left

Left-leaning outlets framed the statue as a satire of privileged power, Trump’s vanity, and damage to climate action and the international order. HuffPost quoted Jens Galschiot describing the work as about “power and powerlessness,” with Trump embodying advantages that burden ordinary people and are not surrendered. Daily Beast emphasized the image’s deliberate humiliation of Trump’s vanity and cited Jens Galschiøt’s protest against Trump’s destructive influence on climate action and the international order.

From the right

Right-leaning outlets framed the display as an insult to Trump, a rift flashpoint, and an anti-Trump stunt inside the European Parliament. Daily Mail emphasized the statue’s insulting, humiliating portrayal of Trump and cast the display as a worsening transatlantic flashpoint. Washington Examiner cited SD i Europaparlamentet’s description of the display as a far-left “Orange Man Bad” stunt in the EU Parliament.