German Carnival Celebrates with Satirical Floats Featuring Donald Trump and Political Figures

Mainz, Germany: ​Wearing no trousers, with his tongue sticking out and dancing with the Statue of Liberty, the figure of US PresidentDonald Trump​will feature at a German carnival celebration as one of the ‌traditionally satirical and provocative floats. Experience a more refined e-paper today Organisers showcased the ⁠various figures in the ‌city of Mainz in western Germany on Tuesday. They also included Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a sinking boat, with his conservative predecessor and erstwhile rival, Angela Merkel, spearing the boat with a trident. Another ​was of Markus Soeder, the state premier of Bavaria - who frequently posts pictures of meals he eats on social media - sitting on top of a heap ‌of sausages ‌and dried meats, and with a sausage sticking out of his mouth. The figures will be ⁠shown on Rosenmontag (Rose Monday), the peak of the German carnival season, a period characterised by excess ahead of the rigours of Lent, the 40 days ⁠of fasting that traditionally precede Easter. "We have ⁠a whole lot of political motifs ... probably the most ‌spectacular one is Donald Trump dancing with ‌the Statue of Liberty," said Michael Bonewitz, a spokesperson for the Mainz Carnival Association (MCV), which traces its roots back to 1838. Trump is shown with ‍the word 'ICE' written on his right buttock, a reference to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement that is currently carrying out a controversial crackdown in the United States. Last year's Carnival celebrations were overshadowed in Germany by a deadly car-ramming. "Of course, this is always a challenge, and the challenge is constantly growing because security requirements are becoming increasingly ​stringent," said Bonewitz. "But you ‌have to acknowledge that there will certainly be a limit; you can't protect yourself against everything."