Make XTC great again? Deadly Trump pills are popping up across the Netherlands

The new face of Dutch XTC (literally)

The Trimbos Institute has issued a national “Red Alert” for ecstasy pills stamped with Donald Trump’s face, warning that they may cause fatal overheating.

Of all the ways Donald Trump could possibly ruin your life, an ecstasy pill with his face on it definitely wasn’t on our 2026 bingo card.

According to Trimbos, several of these tablets turned up at testing centres run by the Drugs Information and Monitoring System (DIMS) last week. And if we said researchers were shocked by what they found, that’d probably be an understatement.

What makes these Trump XTC pills so deadly?

As reported by Trimbos, the core issue is the “very high amount of the substance PMMA”. PMMA, or para-methoxymethamphetamine, is a synthetic substance that mimics MDMA, the active ingredient in ecstasy.

However, unlike MDMA, PMMA’s effects kick in much later, causing users to mistakenly assume that they need to take more of the drug to feel its effects.

Hours later, these effects can show up all at once, hitting you with a barrage of nausea, tachycardia (racing heartbeat), convulsions, and an extremely high body temperature.

Here’s how to spot them

All the pills come in two colours, Trimbos reports, with several different colour combinations discovered so far.

One side of the pill shows Trump’s face, with his familiar quiff and pout. The other has “NL” and “Trump” stamped on it, with a score line between them.

Here are examples of two different colourways:

different-colourways-donald-trump-deadly-xtc-pills-in-the-netherlands
There’s no mistaking that face! Image: Trimbos

Not a trip you’ll want to take

Trimbos is blunt about what to do if you ever come across Donald Trump’s face staring up at you from a colourful XTC pill: “Do not use this pill under any circumstances”.

If you, or someone you know, has taken one of these, then immediately call emergency services. In the meantime, Trimbos stresses you should “try to calm the person in question as much as possible”.

Meanwhile, if you’ve got a batch of XTC pills and are unsure whether they contain PMMA, your safest bet is having them tested at DIMS.

Is this weirder than the Dutch garden gnome made entirely of MDMA? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Feature image:Trimbos

Accuracy, clarity, and a touch of humour — that’s DutchReview. Read our editorial mission.

Liana Risseeuw 🇱🇰
Liana Risseeuw 🇱🇰
Liana juggles her role as an Editor with wrapping up a degree in cognitive linguistics and assisting with DutchReview's affiliate portfolio. Since arriving in the Netherlands for her studies in 2018, she's thrilled to have the 'write' opportunity to help other internationals feel more at home here — whether that's by penning an article on the best SIMs to buy in NL, the latest banking features, or important things to know about Dutch health insurance.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Related posts

Latest posts

Every street in this Dutch neighbourhood is named after Lord of the Rings

The small, unassuming town of Geldrop in Eindhoven has every street named after J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. It's the moment all fans...

Four injured in stabbing at Amsterdam Centraal, footage livestreamed on social media

Four men were injured in a stabbing near Amsterdam Centraal last Saturday, with part of the confrontation broadcast on social media — and commenters...

Expect thunderstorms across the Netherlands, with a flooding risk in North Holland

The KNMI has issued a code yellow weather warning across the entire country today (August 31), thanks to heavy thunderstorms and wind gusts of...

It's happening