Mastodawn

Letter to the editor

‘I call on Amsterdammers to avoid the color orange on King’s Day, out of displeasure that the King is staying with Trump’

How can you more clearly show King Willem-Alexander that you disagree with his decision to stay with President Donald Trump at the White House? Well, writes Parool reader Bart van Leeuwen in this letter to the editor: ignore the color orange on his birthday, two weeks later.

Bart van Leeuwen is not advocating for a complete boycott of King’s Day. ‘We are only banning the color orange.’
Bart van Leeuwen is not advocating for a complete boycott of King’s Day. ‘We are only banning the color orange.’Bron foto Sil Moison
Dit artikel is geschreven doorBart van LeeuwenGepubliceerd op 13 april 2026, 03:00

This article has been translated from Dutch with the assistance of AI. It has been reviewed by our editorial team. However, this translation may contain inaccuracies. Read all our reporting in English or share your thoughts: english @ parool.nl.

https://www.parool.nl/international/i-call-on-amsterdammers-to-avoid-the-color-orange-on-king-s-day-out-of-displeasure-that-the-king-is-staying-with-trump~b928ced5/

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#King_s_Day #netherlands #trump #usa #boycott #color

‘I call on Amsterdammers to avoid the color orange on King’s Day, out of displeasure that the King is staying with Trump’

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Regendans

2/3

Despite all the outcry, His Majesty the King will soon be wandering through the corridors of the White House in orange-striped pajamas under the watchful eye of the Founding Fathers, followed by Her Majesty Queen Máxima, who has donned her gold brocade peignoir for the occasion.

Barefoot over the cold presidential tiles, the royal couple walks toward the restroom, only to make their appearance in the master bedroom with empty bladders and brushed teeth, where they will enjoy a nightcap to the health of their host.

Accepting the invitation – which followed Trump’s overnight stay at Huis ten Bosch Palace last year – is a sacred duty, according to experts. After all, declining it could lead to a diplomatic row.
Showing a backbone

Yet our King could show a bit more backbone in this matter. We must put an end to the display of that typical Dutch subservience (call it opportunism). A sleepover with a despotic clown like Trump cannot be justified from a moral perspective, especially not when the world is simultaneously suffering under the puerile whims of that very same clown.

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Regendans 2d ago

3/3

In this light, the celebration of His Majesty the King’s birthday, barely two weeks later, is equally unjustifiable. Bearing our general moral principles in mind, I call on every Amsterdammer to disregard the orange streamers and orange ‘tompoezen’ this year.

Although I am generally a party pooper, I am not advocating for a total boycott of King’s Day here. We are only banishing the color orange. As a sign of displeasure, let Amsterdam fall back on the color of its own flag on April 27: red, the color of revolution. As a secondary color, orange is a weak imitation of red anyway.

A different color, the same party. Drape yourself in a Dirk shopping bag and put a Santa hat on your head. It is a symbolic act of resistance that breaks the link with the Royal House and places us, the people, on the right side of history. Long live the People, hooray, hooray, hooray!

This is a contributed piece This article is a guest contribution written by Bart van Leeuwen from Amsterdam. Opinion pieces are submitted by readers and do not represent the viewpoint of the Parool editorial staff. Anyone can submit opinion pieces.