Titled The Orange Plague, the sculpture by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt portrays Trump sitting on the shoulders of a frail, smaller man, with his thighs and sagging belly wrapped around the man’s head.
Holding a golf club in one hand and the scales of justice in the other, the US president is depicted in a grotesque parody of power, earning the sculpture the alternative title King of Injustice.
The artwork criticizes what Galschiøt sees as Trump’s threats to the environment, international cooperation and the rules-based international order, accusing the US president of undermining institutions and causes he claims to support, including efforts to combat climate change.
The smaller man beneath Trump symbolizes the burden imposed by powerful political figures on those with less power.
A plaque at the sculpture’s base reads: “I am sitting on the back of a man. He is sinking under my burden. I will do anything to help him. Except step down from his back.”
The imagery mocks a leadership style that claims to serve others while forcing ordinary people and weaker countries to bear the consequences of decisions made by those at the top.
Meanwhile, the sculpture’s naked depiction of Trump draws inspiration from Danish author Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale The Emperor’s New Clothes, in which a vain ruler parades naked while those around him pretend he is magnificently dressed.
“Dictators don’t like you laughing at them,” Galschiøt said, explaining the political message behind the work.
The exhibition in Strasbourg was sponsored by Per Clausen, a Danish member of the European Parliament representing the left-wing group The Left.
Clausen said he wanted to stimulate debate about the exercise of global power and how Europe could defend its interests without becoming dependent on Trump.
The installation does not constitute an official endorsement of the artwork by the European Union.
Previously, The Orange Plague was displayed at the Munich Security Conference and the COP30 United Nations climate conference in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025.
It was also exhibited at demonstrations in Copenhagen earlier in 2026 calling for Greenland to be protected from US ambitions.
The Strasbourg exhibition includes miniature, 3D-printed versions distributed to visitors as “protest tokens,” with Galschiøt saying he produced around 20,000 for visitors and European Parliament staff.
The temporary exhibition is expected to remain on display until Thursday, while the artist plans to exhibit the sculpture again at the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Turkey, next month.
Trump has not publicly commented on the artwork.