Dem
53
Ties
2
GOP
45
Donald Trump is doing a fair bit of harm to people in Europe, who had no say in his being elected, and who have limited tools for pushing back against him. That lack of tools did not stop Danish artist Jens Galschiøt from giving it the old college try, though:
As you can see, it is titled "The Orange Plague." That is a naked Donald Trump, covered in 24-karat gold leaf, being held up by a much smaller man. In one (small) hand, Trump holds a tiny scales of justice. In the other (small) hand, Trump holds a giant golf club. There is also a golf ball that is modeled to look like Earth. The artist says that because Trump likes gold so very much, "In a way, I think he would like this sculpture."
We are not exactly sure how to interpret the symbolism built into the piece, though we imagine that perhaps an extra-long golf club is intended to compensate for... something. Certainly, the central message of the piece is made clear by the title, and by the poem inscribed on the base:
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.
—The King of Injustice.
Not terribly subtle.
At the moment, the work is on display in the front lobby of the European Parliament. That does not necessarily imply endorsement by the whole body; the rules allow each member to choose a work from their home country to display, and MEP Per Clausen chose this one. That said, the rules also say that members cannot choose works that are "contradictory to the values on which the Union is founded," and apparently this one isn't. Further, many MEPs have been photographed looking admiringly at the piece.
Oh, and our thanks to reader W.M.T. in Vienna, Austria, who brought the story to our attention. (Z)