Giant inflatable caricatures of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin featured prominently during Amsterdam's WorldPride 2026 Canal Parade, where organisers positioned them to appear as if kissing. The installation, titled "The Kissing Couple," was intended to "pause power for a moment" rather than simply provoke, its creators said. The stunt resonated politically given Trump’s past praise of Putin and Russia’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws, and echoed a similar 2016 mural.
Trump–Putin Inflatable 'Kiss' Steals Spotlight at Amsterdam WorldPride Canal Parade
Two inflatable caricature balloons depicting U.S. President Donald Trump, center, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, as people line the Dutch capital's historic canals. via Associated Press
Giant inflatable caricatures of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin drew widespread attention during Amsterdam's WorldPride 2026 Canal Parade this weekend.
Video circulating online shows revelers dancing to electronic music on a boat as the towering puppets were inflated and guided along the city’s historic canals. Spectators lined the waterways to watch the procession as the caricatures loomed above the crowd.
People stand on a boat next to giant inflatable puppets depicting Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Canal Parade. SEM VAN DER WAL via Getty Images
At first, the two figures appeared to confront one another, each holding a bouquet hidden behind their back. Organisers then moved the inflatables together until it created the illusion that the leaders were kissing. Clips of the moment were shared widely across social platforms, including YouTube.
"We did not want to provoke, but to pause power for a moment and highlight something human," the installation's creators said of the piece, which they titled "The Kissing Couple."
The image carried an unmistakable political edge. President Trump has at times praised Vladimir Putin, while Putin’s government has enacted sweeping anti-LGBTQ+ laws in Russia. The pair have been depicted kissing before — most famously in a street mural ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election — and the inflatable stunt revived that provocative visual for WorldPride audiences.
Whether seen as satire, protest or performance art, the installation became a talking point of the parade and sparked online discussion about power, politics and the role of symbolism at Pride events.
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