Reuters
- President Donald Trump stood in front of a fake presidential seal that called him a puppet in Spanish in front of thousands of cheering supporters at the Turning Point USA summit in Washington, DC, earlier this week.
- Instead of the customary bald eagle wielding arrows, the parody seal showed a double-headed eagle clutching golf clubs in one of its talons.
- A slew of embarrassing headlines for the Trump White House quickly followed, along with finger-pointing, plenty of denials, and ultimately no claim of responsibility.
- Here is everything we know about the fake presidential seal incident.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
President Donald Trump stood in front of a fake presidential seal that called him a puppet in Spanish in front of thousands of cheering supporters at the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) summit in Washington, DC, earlier this week.
First reported by the Washington Post, the seal had been doctored to satirize contentious aspects of the Trump presidency.
Instead of the customary bald eagle wielding arrows, the parody seal showed a double-headed eagle clutching golf clubs in one of its talons. The eagle closely resembled the one on Russia's national emblem, alluding to the administration's controversial ties to Russia and its efforts to sway the 2016 presidential election in favor of Trump.
The image of the golf clubs poked fun at the 45th president's well-documented penchant for golf. And in lieu of a Latin motto, the seal was adorned with the phrase "45 es un títere," which translates to "45 is a puppet" in Spanish. Trump is the US' 45th president.
A slew of embarassing headlines for the Trump White House quickly followed, along with finger-pointing, plenty of denials, and ultimately no claim of responsibility.
Here is everything we know about the fake presidential seal incident.
What is Turning Point USA?
TPUSA is a conservative student organization that promotes "fiscal responsibility, free markets and limited government," according to its mission statement. The organization is led by Charlie Kirk, an outspoken Trump supporter who is becoming one of the right's most prominent leaders.
TPUSA has strong ties to the Trump administration, with members of the Trump cabinet appearing at TPUSA events, and the president's son enjoying a close relationship with Kirk. In March of this year, Kirk successfully lobbied Trump to sign an executive order to protect "free speech" at college campuses.
What happened at the TPUSA summit?
Following a 12-minute video chronicling his unlikely rise to the presidency, Trump walked onstage to the cheers of thousands of young supporters. While he reveled in the praise, the fake presidential seal was displayed on the screen behind him, which passed unnoticed at the time.
After it was discovered, the White House told the Post that none of their staffers saw the seal before it was projected and referred questions to TPUSA, which organized the event.
TPUSA said it had identified the individual who put the seal behind Trump and "let the person go," the Post reported. They also said it was the product of a last-minute online search.
Who created the fake presidential seal?
The creator of the doctored seal said in an interview with the Post that he designed it as "a goofy thing" and never anticipated it would receive the mass attention it did - but was delighted to see it behind Trump.
Charles Leazott, a graphic designer and former Republican who voted for George W. Bush twice, created the seal in 2016 and called it "the most petty piece of art I've ever created."
The image was originally used on T-shirts which Leazott was selling, which have since experienced a huge surge in demand. He also revived his brand's website, OneTermDonnie. Ten percent of its proceeds from sales will be directed to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Of the person who put up the fake seal, Leazott told the Post they are either "either wildly incompetent or the best troll ever - either way, I love them."