Brussels – Europe and the Arabs

While US President Donald Trump attempts to leave his mark on Washington, D.C., by any means possible, a statue of him has appeared at the European Parliament in Strasbourg—without any request from him. It is plated in gold—his preferred material. The question remains whether the President would take pride in this artwork. According to Belgian media outlets in Brussels, including the newspaper *Het Nieuwsblad*—which published a photo of the statue—the European Parliament in Strasbourg has temporarily acquired a striking piece of art: a nude statue of Donald Trump that was previously displayed during the climate summit in Belém, Brazil.

Titled "The Orange Plague," the work depicts a naked Trump sitting on the shoulders of an exhausted man, holding an exceptionally long golf club in one hand and a set of scales in the other. The statue stands approximately 2.6 meters tall (including the base), and Trump is reportedly covered in 23-karat gold. Inscribed on the base, beneath the title, is the following text: "I am sitting on a man's back. He is sinking under the weight of my burden. I will do everything I can to help him." "...unless I get off his back."
The statue—created by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt—was installed there at the request of Per Clausen, a Member of the European Parliament from the Danish Left Party; it will remain standing at the intersection of two European Parliament buildings. Galschiøt has also produced thousands of miniature replicas of the statue, which he is distributing to visitors today.
"Trump represents one of the greatest threats to the rules-based global order, democratic values, and our collective efforts to tackle the climate crisis," said Galschiøt, whose work was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s tale *The Emperor's New Clothes*. "We must join forces to confront his destructive impact."
The statue was previously displayed in Belém, Brazil, during last year’s climate summit, and on the streets of Munich during the recent security conference. According to the artist's website, the statue will travel to the climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, next month. So far, the statue has not elicited any reaction from the US President.