Dutch health officials are warning people about a potentially lethal new drug bearing a familiar face: President Donald Trump.
The Trimbos Institute, a drug addiction and mental health organization in the Netherlands, issued a national “Red Alert” after several ecstasy pills shaped like Trump’s head were submitted to drug-testing centers and found to contain dangerously high concentrations of PMMA.
“Absolutely do not use these pills,” the institute warned.
The brightly colored tablets depict Trump’s face on one side, while the other is stamped with “NL” and “Trump.”
Unlike MDMA, the primary psychoactive ingredient associated with ecstasy, PMMA can take much longer to produce noticeable effects. That delay can lead users to mistakenly believe the drug isn’t working and take additional doses, dramatically increasing the risk of overdose.
The consequences can include nausea, rapid heartbeat, seizures, loss of consciousness and dangerously high body temperature. Severe overheating can be fatal.
So far, officials say they are not aware of any serious illnesses or deaths connected to the Trump-shaped pills.
“We do not know of any victims where PMMA was found in their blood,” Trimbos Institute spokesperson Anniek Groothuis said.
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The pills should not be confused with TrumpRx, the president’s considerably more official foray into pharmaceuticals. The government-backed website launched earlier this year to connect Americans with discounted prescription drugs.
Nor is this the first time Trump has appeared in tablet form.
In 2017, German police seized thousands of orange ecstasy pills shaped like Trump’s head after officers discovered roughly 5,000 tablets during a traffic stop. At the time, police estimated the haul was worth tens of thousands of euros.
Ecstasy remains illegal but widely used in the Netherlands, particularly at clubs and music festivals. Dutch government data previously estimated that about 550,000 people used the drug over the course of a year.
The timing of the latest discovery prompted officials to issue the nationwide warning during the busy summer festival season, urging festival organizers, first responders and drug-treatment organizations to spread the word.
For Americans of a certain age raised on D.A.R.E. assemblies and Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign, Dutch officials have inadvertently revived some familiar advice.
At least when it comes to these Trump drugs: Just say no.
Do not eat the president.
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