Fico demands removal of Trump statue already taken down
The sculpture was displayed at the European Parliament in Strasbourg during a two-day exhibition initiated by Danish MEP Per Clausen.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico urged the European Parliament to remove a satirical sculpture of US President Donald Trump on 8 October 2026. A Parliament spokesperson said the work had been taken down the previous day.
In a post on X, Fico portrayed the installation as evidence of EU decline. He said that disagreements with some of Trump’s policies did not justify insulting partners in institutional buildings, and questioned whether Parliament would accept comparable portrayals of France’s president or Germany’s chancellor.
Danish artist Jens Galschiøt created The Orange Plague, a 2.6-metre sculpture showing a naked Trump covered in gold leaf, sitting on the shoulders of a frail man. The figure carries a golf club and scales of justice. Danish left-wing MEP Per Clausen initiated the two-day exhibition.
Galschiøt said he wanted the work to challenge Trump’s policies and prompt discussion about their consequences for efforts to address climate change. Clausen defended the display, arguing that world-stage figures should be able to tolerate such satire.
The European Parliament’s press service said cultural exhibitions organised by MEPs require prior approval from the Quaestors, who check compliance with its rules. Those rules prohibit offensive or inflammatory displays, material contrary to EU values and exhibitions likely to cause disturbances in the allocated spaces.
